Active learning ideas
This topic extends moral philosophy to our relationship with the non-human world, covering NCCA Strand 6.4. Students investigate whether animals have inherent rights or if our obligations to them are merely based on human benefit. They also explore environmental ethics, asking if the natural world has 'intrinsic value' (value in itself) or 'instrumental value' (value because it is useful to us). This connects to the Junior Cycle Key Skill of Managing Information and Thinking, as students must weigh scientific facts about sentience against ethical theories.
Activity 01
Divide the class into teams to debate the statement: 'If an animal can feel pain, it should have the same basic rights as a human.' Students must use the concept of 'sentience' to support their arguments for or against.
Do animals have rights?
Activity 02
Place images of a forest, a farm, and a city park around the room. Students move in groups to list the 'Instrumental Value' (what it gives us) and 'Intrinsic Value' (why it matters on its own) for each, using different colored markers.
What are our moral obligations to the environment?
Activity 03
Students are told a specific species is about to go extinct. They must decide individually how much money (from a limited budget) they would spend to save it and why. They then compare their 'valuation' with a partner.
Is it ethical to use animals for human benefit?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Animals don't have rights because they can't speak or follow rules.
This is a common 'contractarian' view. Active learning discussions help students explore the 'argument from marginal cases,' asking if humans who can't speak (like babies) still have rights, which challenges their original logic.
Environmentalism is just about saving resources for humans to use later.
This is 'anthropocentrism.' Through collaborative investigations, students can explore 'biocentrism,' the idea that nature has value even if no humans are around to use it.
Methods used in this brief
Right and Wrong
An introduction to ethical theories and how we determine what is morally right or wrong. Students explore intention versus outcome.
8 methodologies
Fairness and Justice
Students examine the concepts of fairness, equality, and justice within society. They discuss how resources and opportunities should be distributed.
8 methodologies
Moral Dilemmas
Students apply ethical frameworks to complex, real-world moral dilemmas. They practice articulating and defending their moral reasoning.
8 methodologies