Ethical Frameworks and Moral Reasoning
Introduce the three main ethical frameworks: consequentialism (judge actions by outcomes and overall welfare), deontology (judge actions by adherence to rules and duties regardless of consequences), and virtue ethics (judge actions by the character they reflect); apply each framework to real-world moral dilemmas: climate responsibility, AI ethics, civil disobedience, wealth inequality, healthcare rationing; understand the strengths and limitations of each framework; develop the capacity for careful moral reasoning — the ability to think through ethical questions systematically rather than relying only on intuition or group opinion
Suggested ages 13–14
Evidence of understanding
No evidence statements are recorded.
Assessment prompt
Can Ethical Frameworks and Moral Reasoning take a real ethical dilemma — like whether it's ever right to break a rule to help someone — and explain how a consequentialist, a deontologist, and someone focused on virtue ethics would each think about it differently, and which approach they find most persuasive?
Standards alignment
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