Active learning ideas
Applied Ethics in Contemporary Society takes the abstract frameworks from the previous topic and puts them to work on real-world problems. This topic covers Bioethics (e.g., gene editing, MAID), Environmental Ethics (e.g., climate justice), and Technology Ethics (e.g., surveillance, AI bias). It directly addresses the D2 expectations of the Ontario curriculum, requiring students to construct reasoned arguments for specific moral positions.
Activity 01
Students are assigned roles (doctor, patient, religious leader, taxpayer, ethicist) to debate a specific Canadian issue like the expansion of MAID or the use of private healthcare. They must use ethical frameworks to justify their character's position.
How do ethical theories guide us in medical dilemmas?
Activity 02
Post 'Future Scenarios' around the room (e.g., 'Social Credit Scores,' 'Designer Babies,' 'AI Judges'). Students move in small groups to identify the primary ethical risk for each and propose one 'Deontological rule' to regulate it.
What are our moral obligations to the environment?
Activity 03
Pairs discuss the Indigenous 'Seventh Generation' principle (decisions should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future). They compare this to a standard 4-year political cycle and discuss the ethical implications for climate change policy.
How should we navigate the ethical challenges of emerging technologies?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Applied ethics is just about 'having a debate.'
It's about *applying* formal theories to reach a conclusion. Active learning tasks that require students to 'cite' their framework (e.g., 'As a Utilitarian, I argue...') help them move from casual debate to philosophical analysis.
There is always a 'right' answer to these dilemmas.
The goal is often to find the 'most justifiable' answer, acknowledging the trade-offs. Peer-to-peer 'Town Halls' help students see that ethical dilemmas are 'dilemmas' precisely because they involve a conflict between two valid 'goods' or 'duties.'
Methods used in this brief
Normative Ethical Frameworks
Students examine major normative theories, including utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. They will apply these frameworks to determine the morality of various actions.
8 methodologies
Metaethics and Moral Relativism
Students investigate the nature of ethical statements and whether objective moral truths exist. They will debate the merits and criticisms of moral relativism and moral absolutism.
8 methodologies