Teleology and utilitarianism
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can apply utilitarian ethics to scenarios as a way of demonstrating knowledge of teleological ethics.
Key learning points
- Teleological ethics focuses on the outcomes or consequences of actions rather than the actions themselves.
- Utilitarianism aims to produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
- The good is equated with happiness and actions are considered right if they lead to more happiness than pain.
- Utilitarianism can be critcised, e.g., it is difficult to calculate how much happiness an action would produce.
Keywords
Teleogical ethics - ethical theories that focus on the outcomes or consequences of an action
Greatest good - the idea that actions should aim to produce the most happiness for the most people
Jeremy Bentham - an 18th-century philosopher and social reformer who developed utilitarianism
Utilitarianism - an ethical theory that focuses on achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of people
Common misconception
Utilitarianism does not argue that any action is acceptable as long as it makes the majority happy.
Utilitarianism considers both the positive and the negative outcomes to determine which action produces the best overall consequences for the greatest number of people.
Teacher tip
Ask students to practice applying utilitarianism by creating their own dilemmas.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The study of right and wrong is known as .
Q2.What is the meaning of 'deon' in 'deontology'?
Q3.Which of these is an example of deontological ethics?
Q4. argued that you should always act according to the rule that you would want everyone else to follow.
Q5.Why did Kant believe that people should never break promises?
Q6.Which of the following best describes Kant's concept of the categorical imperative?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word 'telos' mean in ethical theory?
Q2.Which of the following decisions are examples of a teleological approach?
Q3.Which of the following best explains utilitarianism?
Q4.Put the steps below in the correct order for applying utilitarianism.
Q5.A city must decide whether to build a new park. According to utilitarianism, what should the main consideration when making the decision be?
Q6.A criticism of utilitarianism is that it can be difficult to calculate the exact amount of an action will cause.
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: Teleology and utilitarianism, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: Teleology and utilitarianism, 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 Ethics: how do we know what is 'good'? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.