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SavannahYear 8
← Religion & Worldviews
Religion & WorldviewsEthics, suffering and meaning30 min★★★ difficulty

Building and evaluating ethical arguments

Ethical disagreement is not just people feeling differently. Arguments have structures, and those structures can be examined, tested and improved.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Evaluate ethical arguments using reasons and evidence

Key learning points

  • • Premises and conclusions
  • • Three ways of judging actions
  • • Testing an argument
  • • Writing a balanced evaluation

This lesson at a glance

  • 30 minutes
  • 19 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

ethicalargumentsreasonsevidencepremises

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 19 · Discover5%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 19

Watch first

Building and evaluating ethical arguments

An English teaching video on this topic from Alexandra Graham. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Evaluate ethical arguments using reasons and evidence

2

What you already know

Part 2 of 19

Before we start

What you already know

You should already be able to give a reason for a point of view.

3

Key words

Part 3 of 19

Key words

Words you'll need today

Premise
A reason offered in support of a conclusion.
Consequentialism
Judging actions by their outcomes.
Duty-based ethics
Judging actions by rules or duties regardless of outcome.
Virtue
A settled character trait such as honesty or courage.
4

Learning cycle

Part 4 of 19

Learning cycle 1 of 2

How ethical arguments work

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

5

Explore the idea

Part 5 of 19

Learn

Premises and conclusions

An argument moves from premises to a conclusion. To assess one, ask two separate questions: are the premises true, and do they actually support the conclusion? Many disagreements dissolve once the hidden premise is written down, because people often agree on principle and differ only about facts.

6

Explore the idea

Part 6 of 19

Learn

Three ways of judging actions

Consequentialist reasoning asks which action produces the best outcome overall. Duty-based reasoning asks whether the action follows a rule that should hold for everyone. Virtue reasoning asks what a person of good character would do. Religious traditions draw on all three, alongside sacred texts, authority and lived community practice.

7

Quick check

Part 7 of 19

Quick check

A premise is...

8

Quick check

Part 8 of 19

Quick check

Consequentialism judges actions by...

9

Reset break

Part 9 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
10

Learning cycle

Part 10 of 19

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Testing and comparing them

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

11

Explore the idea

Part 11 of 19

Learn

Testing an argument

Useful tests include looking for counter-examples, checking consistency by applying the principle to a similar case, and asking who is affected but absent from the discussion. Distinguish a factual claim, which evidence can settle, from a value claim, which requires reasoning about what matters.

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 19

Learn

Writing a balanced evaluation

Set out the strongest version of each side, not a weak caricature. Identify where they genuinely conflict, then give your judgement with your reasons. Acknowledging what your view costs is a strength: 'this protects freedom, but accepts some harm, which I think is justified because...' is more convincing than certainty.

13

Quick check

Part 13 of 19

Quick check

Testing consistency means applying the principle to...

14

Quick check

Part 14 of 19

Quick check

A factual claim differs from a value claim because it can be...

15

Common mix-ups

Part 15 of 19

Common mix-ups

Things people often get wrong

  • People often treat ethics as pure opinion. Arguments can be tested for consistency and evidence.
  • People often present a weak version of the opposing view. Address its strongest form.
16

Challenge round

Part 16 of 19

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

17

Challenge round

Part 17 of 19

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

An argument moves from ____ to a conclusion.

Distinguish a factual claim, which ____ can settle, from a value claim, which requires reasoning about what matters.

Identify where they genuinely conflict, then give your judgement with your ____.

18

Mastery quiz

Part 18 of 19

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Building and evaluating ethical arguments

6 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. Duty-based ethics judges an action by...

  2. 2. Virtue ethics asks what...

  3. 3. A counter-example is used to...

  4. 4. Asking who is affected but absent helps reveal...

  5. 5. Acknowledging what your view costs makes it...

  6. 6. Religious ethical reasoning may draw on...

19

Lesson round-up

Part 19 of 19

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Source

Two teachings on forgiveness

In Christian teaching, Jesus is asked how many times a person should forgive. He answers not seven times but seventy-seven — meaning forgiveness should not be counted at all. The Lord's Prayer links the two directions together: forgive us as we forgive others.

In Islamic teaching, one of the names of God is al-Ghaffar, the Ever-Forgiving. Muslims are taught that God's mercy is greater than any wrong a person can do, and that those who pardon others are closer to God than those who take revenge.

Both traditions distinguish forgiving from forgetting. A person may forgive and still expect justice, and may seek safety from someone who has harmed them.

Original paraphrases written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. What does each teaching say about how far forgiveness should go?
  2. Explain how a believer might use one of these teachings after being hurt by a friend.
  3. "Forgiving someone means letting them off." Give two views on this and say which is stronger, with reasons.

  • Reading and response

    Reading

    Read the lesson text again — especially any scripture, story or quotation — then write what it teaches and how a believer would use it.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Answer the lesson's big question as an exam answer would: a clear view, a reason, a teaching or example as evidence, and a different view weighed against yours.

    250–350 words

  • Belief in your own words

    Writing

    Explain what this belief means and give one example of how it changes what people do.

    8–10 sentences

  • Different views

    Writing

    Write two different views on this question and say which you find stronger, and why.

    2 paragraphs

  • Symbol or belief diagram

    Diagram

    Draw the symbol, place of worship or idea from this lesson with labels explaining what each part means, then photograph it.

    1 labelled drawing

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 19 · Watch & discover

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