Law and criminality by

This New York Times article looks at the introduction of sweeping new laws to outlaw abortion in Alabama, including cases of conception via rape and incest.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:27:53 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Should ethical knowledge be based on what the majority of the people want? Should it be based on religious principles? Should it be based on what’s practically applicable? Should it be designed with the mother in mind? Should such an issue be decided purely by mean - as it was - or should men be restricted from offering an opinion? Think about consequentialism and deontologicalism - does this enable any kind of route towards consensus? Finally, can we debate this issue in a rational way, or will our emotional involvement always get the better of us?

A Guardian article, looking at the destruction of a statue of a slave trader during the Black Lives Matter protests.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:28:37 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE For some people, the tearing down of a statue is an ‘attack on history’ - on an entity that is unchanging and real. However, if you view history as a constantly developing view of the past then what happened is, in itself, a historical moment, which will be debated and studied (perhaps) for future historians. Do you agree with Olusoga about the correct way to view this event? Does our very conception of what history is depend on our perspectives?

KEY TERMS Attack on history vs. history, Moral stance

A USA Today article, exploring how we use language to explain and make sense of the protests against the killing of George Floyd, and the racism that exists in society.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:28:45 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Does society suffer from racism, or structural racism? Are people protesting, or rioting? Is there looting going on, or the venting of frustration caused by subjugation? Check out a couple of related articles as well - for example, what did MLK mean when he said that “riot is the language of the unheard”? And does this Minnpost article get it right when it argues that the protests are the ‘language of grief rather than a ‘primal scream’?

KEY TERMS Definitions, Loaded term, Political implications, Symbols.

An Artnet article about Art Spiegelman’s award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust ‘Maus’ being banned by a school board in Tennessee.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:29:55 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How do societal sensibilities shape the way we explore the past?

KEY TERMS Inappropriate, Censoring, Divisive concepts

A Big Think article, examining the efforts of scientists who are seeking to add ‘neuro-rights’ to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:32:11 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE A lot of questions centre around this quote from the article: “If the human imagination can create an idea, it can be transformed into reality, and not all humans are benevolent.” How can we legislate within an industry that deals with knowledge and ideas that are constantly changing? What is the relationship between the development of new knowledge, and the moral constraints on that knowledge (ie do they impede or support each other)?

Key terms Cognitive liberty, Agency

A Project Syndicate article by Peter Singer, analysing Elon Musk’s claims to be a ‘free speech absolutist’.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:32:26 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What cases does Peter Singer discuss where limits to freedom of expression may be desirable? How does he suggest that beliefs should (and shouldn’t) be debated in a “healthy manner”? What key issue will Musk need to get to grips with, in order to achieve his goal of creating a healthy ‘common digital town square’? Overall, should we approach freedom of expression (and other moral debates) via ‘absolutist’ principles, or should we be more ethically flexible?

Key terms Free speech, Reason and evidence, Common digital town square, Echo chambers, Interpretations, Well-reasoned arguments vs. polemics, Power, Responsibility

An FT article, looking at (depending on your political perspective) the ‘banning’ or the ‘curating’ of school books in certain US states.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:32:32 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What is currently happening in many states in the USA in terms of limiting the circulation of certain publications? In what way did the Covid pandemic influence this movement? Whose opinion on this issue carries more authority: artists and writers such as Art Spiegelman, Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman, who or those pushing for the removal of publications? Overall, do you think the removal of books from libraries and schools is ‘aggressive censorship’ or ‘responsible curation’, and how might your answer depend on your political perspective?

Key terms Culture wars, Inappropriate, Harmful, Political wedge issue, Censorship, Banning vs. curating, Responsible

We're proud to work in partnership with the FT, to promote their free FT for Schools programme. Follow this link to sign up your school, and access this and other articles.

A Vox article looking at the effect mass shootings have on the arguments of the pro- and anti-gun lobbies.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:33:06 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE It considers how our defence mechanisms kick in when our ‘cherished beliefs’ are threatened. In this case, it is the much debated issue of gun control. How and why do both sides incorporate evidence in such different ways in order to support their position? And how valid is it to take a scientific approach (as outlined in the article) to assess the validity of each side’s reasoning?

Two Vox articles that look at the issue of mass shootings in the US, and the evidence that gun control could help to reduce it.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:33:13 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE (See other article here) Why is it so difficult to explain the reasons for mass shootings occurring in the USA? How do our political (and other) perspectives influence the way we view and understand this issue? Should we approach the issue in a comparative way - or view it solely via factors found within the USA? Why is it so difficult to establish consensus on mass shootings and gun control? How is the issue complicated by media sources having their own biases?

Key terms Correlation, Causal, Comparisons, Passionate, Evidence

A Conversation article, which considers the paradox of Norway and Finland having similar levels of gun ownership to the US, but far less gun crime.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:33:18 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How do you distinguish between causation and correlation in the human sciences?

Key terms Lobbying group, Evidence, Underlying factors

This BBC article ask a very simple question, that has a complex answer: why are same-sex relationships supported within some countries, and opposed in others?

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:34:35 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Use it to explore the impact of ethical thinking on the ‘real world’, and explore how different societies have evolved different perspectives in relation to this moral question. What are the three factors that the article identifies as determining a society’s outlook towards same-sex marriage? How do they shape the production of our ethical knowledge? Should we think in terms of ‘progress’ in terms of ethical understanding?

A Big Think article, considering when it is, and when it isn’t, acceptable to break moral rules.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:35:24 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Why does the writer, Jonny Thompson argue humans are morally inconsistent? How does he align our moral decision-making with Daniel Kahnman’s concept of ‘thinking fast’ and ‘thinking slow’? As a final question, What does this statement about ethics mean, and do you agree: “we must live in dissonance, our beliefs wrestling one another. We must assume laws are unbreakable, yet accept that they need breaking from time to time”?

Key terms Inconsistent, Golden rule, Thinking fast & thinking slow, Deontological, Consequentialist, Absolutist rules, Dissonance

A Big Think video, in which Kelly Richmond Pope explores the parameters of people’s ethical behaviour.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:35:33 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What does Kelly Richmond Pope do for a living, and how might that impact on her approach to ethics? What does she mean when she says, “We need to own the unethical aspects of our decisions” - and what examples does she give to support this? To what extent is your own moral code based on the extent to which you can get away with things? To wrap up: Should we assess the morality of a decision via its impact on the world (consequentialism), or based on its inherent rightness and wrongness (deontology)?

KEY TERMS Rationalize, Honest, Internal controls, Opportunistic

A Big Think video, in which the philosopher Peter Singer explains how we could all use ‘ethical altruism’.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:35:41 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How does Peter Singer extend the drowning child scenario? What is the effective altruism movement, and why do you think it became a global phenomenon? What real and hypothetical examples does Peter Singer give of effective altruism, and do these make you question the extent to which you apply an altruistic approach to life? Why do you think there is a dissonance between the care we take when making ordinary purchases, and the care we take when donating to charity? To wrap up: Could you do more to become an ‘effective altruist’? What is stopping you from doing so?

KEY TERMS Effective altruism, Inequality, Happiness

A Forbes article, looking at a US family’s decision to sue Google following the death of a motorist who was following their maps.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:50:06 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What happened to Philip Paxson in 2022, and why has his family decided that Google is responsible? Should digital map providers be more accountable for problems associated with their platforms than other tech companies - particularly when they have sought to monetize them? Why is it significant that Google is being investigated for illegally bundling its products, and allowing them to be used by third-party apps? In general, should more be done to control the influence of social media platforms (students could tie this into recent media reports about TikTok encouraging social ‘frenzies’)? To wrap up: How important is it to understand the purpose behind social media platforms when using them to provide us with objective knowledge about the world?

KEY TERMS Negligence, Illegally bundled, Control

This BBC article reports on how cleaners on a London Underground train erased a new work off art by Banksy.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:51:16 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What’s the difference between graffiti and art? Was the act of cleaning it part of the piece? How should we judge what is, and what isn’t, art?

Key terms Graffiti, Art

An Arts Newspaper article, investigating the story of a Russian artist who faces prison after she made a protest in a grocery story.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:53:15 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Do you agree with Ai Weiwei that “An artist must also be an activist?” What was the nature of Sasha Skochilenko’s protest, and why did she feel obliged to make it? Do artists have an obligation to tackle moral themes in their work? Does the best art make us change our ideas and perceptions about the world? Overall, how does this article help us to understand the relationship between the arts and ethics?

KEY TERMS Protest, False information

AN ABC article, looking at the decision to make a Danish artist pay back a gallery $100,000 for an exhibition of blank canvases.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:53:22 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What was Jens Haaning meant to do with the 500,000 Danish Kroner given to him by the Kunsten Museum? What did he actually do with it? How did he justify this, artistically and financially? Do you consider his action to have been ‘real’ art? To wrap up: Is there a line between artistic expression and social protest?

KEY TERMS Statement, Power and inequality, Conceptual artist, Humoristic

An Al Jazeera article, reporting on the latest situation in the Julian Assange case.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 09:57:05 UTC

A New Humanist article, looking at why lie detector tests are being used more often in the UK, despite being based on unscientific and unjust principles.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-05-02 13:15:15 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What fallacy is the lie detector test based on, and why can that be a dangerous assumption? Given the lack of scientific evidence for the accuracy of lie detectors, why did they become used so widely in the US from the 1920s onwards? Why is it significant that courts have never allowed lie detector results to be regarded as admissible evidence? Which members of society does Amit Katwala say are most vulnerable to abuse at the hands of lie detectors? In what way has the use of lie detectors in the UK become politicized? To wrap up: How can political and commercial agendas prevent us from producing knowledge about the world in an objective way?

KEY TERMS Unjust, Debunked, False positives, Scientific validity, Truth, Subjective observation vs. objective measurement, Dangerous fallacy, Collecting evidence

A New Humanist article, looking at the ethics of the death penalty, and drawing on philosophy, logic, history, and religion to try to arrive at a rational position on it.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-06-05 13:05:23 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What steps should we go through to arrive at a conclusion on an ethical issue?

KEY TERMS Immortality of the soul, Evidence, Expiation, Logical vs. emotional, Morally justifiable, Utilitarianism and deontology, Structural implications, Sovereignty

theory_of_knowledge — 2026-06-08 10:15:42 UTC

Check out our key concepts here, which will help you to apply a critical thinking lens to this topic, and articulate your ideas about it. These concepts are highlighted.