How do humanists deal with moral dilemmas?
Age 14-16
Summary of lesson:
Students will investigate how humanists decide what is the right thing to do by thinking carefully about the
particular situation and using empathy and reason to guide them. They will begin by discussing how they
would approach a moral dilemma themselves before exploring the different ethical principles a humanist
might use to help them solve such a dilemma. In groups they will explore a humanist approach by debating
which principles should take preference in a particular moral dilemma. Finally they will critique and evaluate
what they think about a humanist approach to ethical decision making.
Students will be able to:
Resource links:
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Explain how humanists decide the difference
between right and wrong
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Describe the different ethical principles humanists
use to guide them when deciding how to act
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Use reason to evaluate possible courses of action
in a moral dilemma
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Evaluate a humanist approach to ethics
Film: What makes something right or wrong?
humanism.org.uk/thatshumanism/
Book a visit from a BHA School Speaker at
understandinghumanism.org.uk
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Key Vocabulary:
Preparation:
Before the lesson...
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Read the teacher’s notes (see below)
Print the Moral dilemmas activity
Watch What makes something right or wrong?
humanism.org.uk/thatshumanism/
If you need further information read:
o Humanist Perspectives: Ethics, and Ethics:
The evolution of morality
British Humanist Association ©2016
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Humanist
Humanism
Empathy
Reason
Compassion
Respect
Consequences
Principles
The Golden Rule
Utilitarianism
Universal law
Rights
Ends
Means
Lesson:
Starter activity and discussion:
Present the students with the moral dilemma on the slide (the trolley problem). Give them some time to
think about it then ask them to discuss in partners or groups what they would do. Ask them to give their
reasons why.
Questions to extend learning:
 What might happen if you did that?
 How would that make you / the other people feel?
 Is there another option?
 What if the roles were reversed? Would you want someone else to do the same in the same
situation?
Film and discussion:
Show the film That’s Humanism: What makes something right or wrong?
Show the slides about what humanists believe and how they decide to act.
Then ask the students what they think about the humanist beliefs and a humanist approach to moral
decision making. Make sure the students understand all the key vocabulary.
Humanists believe…
 We need to think for ourselves and take individual responsibility for our actions
 Our understanding of right and wrong has evolved naturally, rather than been given to us from an
external source
 Human beings can be good without a god or sacred texts to guide us
 Human beings have the right tools at our disposal to be able to work out what is the right or wrong
thing to do: reason, empathy, compassion, and respect for the dignity of others
 The aim of morality is to improve human welfare (rather than some divine purpose) and between us
we can make the world a better place for everyone
How do humanists decide how to act?
 Humanists don’t allow rules or figures of authority to command how they must behave
 Humanists believe we should use empathy, compassion, reason, and respect for the dignity of others
to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong
 Humanists think about the particular situation and the potential consequences of our actions and
use evidence to deliberate about their likelihood
Explain that humanists use a number of guiding principles from different ethical frameworks to help them
decide how to act. When we face a moral dilemma, these principles can come into conflict and so humanists
need to reason carefully and weigh up which is more relevant in the particular situation. Sometimes the
choice is not between right and wrong but is instead about choosing the lesser of two wrongs.
Show and hand out the ethical principles that guide humanists when they make ethical decisions.
Make sure the students understand what each of these mean.
Ethical principles:
 The Golden Rule
 Avoiding harm
British Humanist Association ©2016
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Maximising happiness and minimising suffering
Imagining if everyone acted in the same way
Treating people as ends in themselves
Group work:
Organise the class into groups and give each a moral dilemma and explain that they are going to try to use
reason to solve the moral dilemma like a humanist would. (If you have been exploring other moral dilemmas,
then you could use these as alternatives; however, ideally the moral dilemma would bring different ethical
principles into conflict.) Give each member of the group one of the ethical principles and explain to them
that it is their job to try to make sure that principle is taken into account. As a group can they explain which
of the ethical principles are in conflict in their moral dilemma and decide which should take preference?
Questions to ask:
1) What did they instinctively want to do at first?
2) What different options did they come up with about what could be done? (You could ask children to
produce a multi-path narrative of the possible options and their potential consequences, and then
order them from best to worst.)
3) Were any of the ethical principles in conflict?
4) Which guiding principle did they think was the most important to follow in this situation?
5) What did they decide to do and why?
6) How did they use reason to decide what to do?
7) Were they all satisfied with the decision or did it make any of them uncomfortable?
8) Did anyone change their mind?
9) Would a religious person have used different principles and would this have made them act
differently?
Ask the students to feedback what they decided and learned from the exercise to the rest of the class.
Explain that humanists recognise that such a process is not always perfect and they will sometimes disagree
about the best course of action. However, they believe we have a responsibility to reason about what we
should do and by doing so we are more likely to make morally worthwhile choices than if we simply followed
fixed rules. They also believe that sometimes disagreement can be positive and productive (see the teachers’
notes).
Ask the students if they think that human morality is something fixed or something that evolves over time.
Has human morality made progress? Do we have a better understanding of what is right and wrong today
than we did hundreds or thousands of years ago? Is there any other time in history they would have
preferred to live?
Plenary:
Ask the students what they think about a humanist approach to ethics: what are its advantages and
disadvantages over other approaches to ethical decision making?
Ask the students whether or how they could use what they have learned today in their own lives.
British Humanist Association ©2016
Teachers’ notes:
Humanists do not rely on holy texts or figures of authority to tell them how to act. Instead they believe
human beings have the right tools at their disposal to enable them to work out for themselves what is the
right thing to do. These tools include empathy, compassion, reason, and respect for the dignity of each
person. When deciding how to act, humanists consider carefully the particular situation and the effects of
their choices on the happiness or suffering of the people concerned and on the wider community. They
weigh up the evidence, the probable consequences of the action, and the rights and wishes of those
involved, trying to find the kindest course of action or the option that will do the least harm.
Many humanists use an array of guiding principles from different ethical frameworks to help them decide
how to act. No principle, however, provides the perfect guidance in every situation. Sometimes different
principles come into conflict and so humanists need to reason carefully and weigh up which is more relevant
in the particular situation. Often the choice is not between right and wrong but is instead about choosing the
lesser of two evils.
Ethical principles that humanists use to guide them include:
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The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. Do not treat others in a way
you would not like to be treated yourself.
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Avoiding harm: We should always try to act in a way that does not harm others.
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Maximising happiness: Think about the consequences of your actions. Act in the way that leads to
the most happiness and the least pain and suffering for everyone involved.
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Imagining if everyone acted the same: When considering moral dilemmas we should think about
what the world would be like if everyone acted in the same way.
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Treating people as ends rather than means: Every human life is valuable. We shouldn’t use other
people for our own happiness or for the happiness of others. We should respect their rights and
dignity as human beings.
Humanists will also sometimes disagree about the best course of action, but they believe we have a
responsibility to reason about such problems ourselves and that by doing so we are more likely to make
more morally worthwhile choices. Disagreement can sometimes be positive and productive. It encourages us
to recognise, empathise with, and take into consideration opposing arguments. For humanists, morality is
something we learn through doing it. It is a journey and, while we may face challenges along the way, we are
able to make progress.
For more information see the Moral Dilemmas activity and the Humanist Perspective: Morality.
British Humanist Association ©2016