Active learning ideas
Simulated Killing explores the ethics of violent video games, films, and plays. This modern topic requires students to apply traditional theories to a contemporary context: does it matter if the 'victim' isn't real? Students examine the 'Corruption Thesis' (that simulated violence makes us more violent in real life) and the 'Catharsis Thesis' (that it provides a safe outlet for aggression).
Activity 01
Divide the class into 'Pro-Regulation' (arguing that simulated killing damages character) and 'Anti-Regulation' (arguing it is harmless play). They must use Aristotelian and Utilitarian arguments to support their side.
Does simulated killing harm the moral character of the agent?
Activity 02
Groups discuss whether killing an NPC (non-player character) violates the Categorical Imperative. Does it treat a 'rational being' as a means, or is the NPC not a rational being? They present their findings to the class.
How does utilitarianism calculate the pleasure derived from violent games?
Activity 03
Students calculate the pleasure of the gamer vs the 'pain' of the simulated victim. They then discuss if the 'pain' of the victim should even count in a Utilitarian calculation.
Is there a moral difference between simulated and actual violence?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Students think Utilitarianism would automatically approve of violent games because they bring pleasure.
Utilitarians must also consider the potential 'negative utility' of increased real-world aggression or the 'lower' quality of the pleasure. Active 'utility weighing' exercises help students see the complexity of the calculation.
Students assume Kant wouldn't care about simulated killing because no real person is hurt.
Kant argued that cruelty to non-humans (or simulations) can 'blunt' our natural sympathy and lead us to treat real humans badly. Peer-led discussion on 'moral desensitisation' helps students connect Kant's theory to modern psychological concerns.
Methods used in this brief
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