Designing an Evilometer

Is it better for a thin man in a lifeboat to give up his seat, or to throw a fat man overboard to make room for two?

Is letting someone fall down an open lift shaft any different to giving him a gentle shove?

Grapple with ethical questions such as these with the help or hindrance of philosophers, gods and sages down the ages.

Then design and name your own moral philosophy and devise a fiendish dilemma ready for a final showdown, before a final discussion on… goodness knows what, as you’ll be the ones creating and choosing the question.

After some icebreakers that give a flavour of philosophy in general, this workshop focuses on ethics with a series of engaging activities that force pupils to make judgements and challenge one another’s justifications for them.

There are opportunities to engage with a number of academic philosophers as well as exploring their own intuitions about right and wrong.

Particularly good for very able groups, as it is so rich in content and opportunities for intellectual creativity. Usually run as a whole day with the same group, can also be edited to run as two half-day sessions with different groups.

Sample Questions

Are you the same person you were yesterday?

Would 2+2 still be 4 if there was nobody who could count?

Is letting someone die as bad as killing them?

Does killing an evil dictator make you a hero or a murderer?

Can a set of rules ever be complete?

Is this a question?

Would the Scout Law tell you to torture a terrorist?

Did Jesus have anything to say about free range chickens?

Is it better to satisfy a desire, or not to have it in the first place?

Contact me for more information:

Phone: 01245 830123