Year 11 Philosophy

Year 11 Philosophy United Nations Simulation Activity on Moral Issues

This semester, the new Year 11 Philosophy class at VUSC has been studying moral philosophy, looking at Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Kant’s theory of deontology, and various schools of thinking from utilitarian philosophers. 

Alongside this, students have been learning the art of philosophical dialogue by looking at examples from a variety of moral debates on different social and political issues. To bring this to life, students have been participating in a series of simulated United Nations conferences. Students represent different countries grounded in a particular philosophical moral theory that we have studied. 

Representing their chosen countries in true UN form by introducing themselves in their own languages, students then used a UN forum model to debate ethical issues such as: the return of ex-patriots to their home countries during the pandemic, live animal exports, factory farming, the right to peaceful protest during the pandemic and the microchipping of pets. A student panel of UN Judges weighed up the various positions presented and implemented a global approach the UN signatory states to pursue in their own jurisdictions. 

Through this activity, students have been able to practice the art of philosophical dialogue on a wide range of issues and have also been able to have a lot of fun together in class.

Mr Troy

Philosophy Teacher