Mary Midgley and why animals matter
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Mary Midgley’s argument for why animals matter and explore the issue using philosophical tools.
Key learning points
- Mary Midgley was a British philosopher known for her work on science, ethics and animal rights.
- She said philosophy was useful to help fix our blocked thinking.
- She critiques arguments that say animals should be treated exactly like humans and that animals do not matter at all.
- 'Animals and why they matter' provides philosophical tools we may use to make decisions about the treatment of animals.
- She advocates for a mixed community, where animals matter morally for many different reasons.
Keywords
Blocked thinking - our ideas or thinking can sometimes get broken or blocked
Absolute dismissal - animals do not matter morally at all
Absolute inclusion - animals should be treated exactly like humans
Species barrier - belief that humans and animals are fundamentally different groups
Common misconception
Philosophy is just abstract thinking and doesn’t apply to everyday life.
Some people think philosophy is just for debates or theories, but Mary Midgley shows it’s actually a practical tool for thinking clearly about real issues like animal welfare.
Teacher tip
Midgley does not give us a checklist for how to treat animals or provide simple answers to every ethical question. Instead, she offers a framework for thinking — philosophical tools that help us reflect more deeply and clearly about our relationships with animals.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What is philosophy?
Q2.What is animal welfare?
Q3.What is the biggest animal welfare charity in the UK?
Q4.How are animals protected in UK law?
Q5.What does species mean?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their correct meanings.
the view that animals do not matter morally at all
the belief that animals should be treated exactly like humans
a world where humans and animals live and feel together
Q2.Mary Midgley wrote a book called Animals and Why They .
Q3.Mary Midgley believed that philosophy helps unblock our .
Q4.What did Mary Midgley say about treating animals as either completely unimportant or exactly like humans?
Q5.Philosophy is just abstract thinking and doesn’t apply to everyday life.
To help you plan your 9 religious education lesson on: Mary Midgley and why animals matter, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 religious education lesson on: Mary Midgley and why animals matter, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Changing world: How should the Earth's resources be used? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.