Topic 5 - How does Truth and Spirituality work in Society?
Lesson 1 - What is Truth?
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How do we know something is true? What even is truth?Task - The nature of truth
Sort the statements in the table where you feel they should go in the Venn diagram below.
Lesson 1 - What is Truth?
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Click for task & information sheeT
How do we know something is true? What even is truth?Task - The nature of truth
Sort the statements in the table where you feel they should go in the Venn diagram below.
Innocent until proven guilty I saw it therefore it happened Seeing is believing I heard from a trusted friend These people love each other We are going to die I just know it’s true God loves us |
Everyone believes it’s true The death penalty is wrong Earth’s climate is changing The world is flat Trees are green Dreams predict the future We live in a computer simulation |
1. What is the difference between proof and probability?
2. Does having more evidence always end in proof?
Task - What types of truth are there?
Teacher-Learner information
In your groups of 4, You have 6 minutes to become an expert on ONE type of truth. You should make notes in your exercise book in your OWN words!
Once done, you will teach the others in your group your expertise and they will teach you.
Task - What is Truth?
Standard
What do you feel is the most reliable form of truth? Why?
Challenge
“Spiritual truth is just personal opinion. It cannot be trusted.”
How far do you agree? Give explained reasons for your answer
Lesson 2 - What is Spirituality?Click for PowerPoint
Task: Are you Human?
URL link
Synopsis of movie, "Replicas":
William Foster is a neuron-scientist is on the verge of successfully transferring human consciousness into a computer who "violates all possible laws and principles in order to bring his family members back to life, after they died in a tragic car accident. He specializes in synthetic biology and mapping of the mind's neural pathways, while Ed Whittle's specialty is reproductive human cloning. He has the knowledge to resurrect them, so William recruits fellow scientist Ed to help him secretly clone their bodies and create replicas. Both characters work for Biodyne corporation in Puerto Rico.
After watching the movie clip "Replica" reflect and answer the following questions in your group:
1. Why is William unwilling to accept the "death" of his wife and children?
2. How do we know if they had truly died?
3. Will's plan is to clone his family members and make identical replicas, although he doesn't have enough pods, one of them will have to go. Why did Ed, William's dedicated co-worker refuse to help William to pick a name out of a bowl?
4. In what ways did William play God?
5. William argued that animals have been cloned but why not humans? To what extent do you agree with his argument?
6. Who should have the right to decide whom to live and die?
7. William had violated "all possible laws and principles" for his actions. Suggest what "laws" and "principles" have been violated. What authority has the right to decide whether these "laws" and "principles" have been broken?
Task
What does it mean to be human?
Eddie the alien has landed on earth.
He has questions.
Give 5 criteria that, if fulfilled, make someone a human
2. Does having more evidence always end in proof?
Task - What types of truth are there?
Teacher-Learner information
In your groups of 4, You have 6 minutes to become an expert on ONE type of truth. You should make notes in your exercise book in your OWN words!
Once done, you will teach the others in your group your expertise and they will teach you.
Task - What is Truth?
Standard
What do you feel is the most reliable form of truth? Why?
Challenge
“Spiritual truth is just personal opinion. It cannot be trusted.”
How far do you agree? Give explained reasons for your answer
Lesson 2 - What is Spirituality?Click for PowerPoint
Task: Are you Human?
URL link
Synopsis of movie, "Replicas":
William Foster is a neuron-scientist is on the verge of successfully transferring human consciousness into a computer who "violates all possible laws and principles in order to bring his family members back to life, after they died in a tragic car accident. He specializes in synthetic biology and mapping of the mind's neural pathways, while Ed Whittle's specialty is reproductive human cloning. He has the knowledge to resurrect them, so William recruits fellow scientist Ed to help him secretly clone their bodies and create replicas. Both characters work for Biodyne corporation in Puerto Rico.
After watching the movie clip "Replica" reflect and answer the following questions in your group:
1. Why is William unwilling to accept the "death" of his wife and children?
2. How do we know if they had truly died?
3. Will's plan is to clone his family members and make identical replicas, although he doesn't have enough pods, one of them will have to go. Why did Ed, William's dedicated co-worker refuse to help William to pick a name out of a bowl?
4. In what ways did William play God?
5. William argued that animals have been cloned but why not humans? To what extent do you agree with his argument?
6. Who should have the right to decide whom to live and die?
7. William had violated "all possible laws and principles" for his actions. Suggest what "laws" and "principles" have been violated. What authority has the right to decide whether these "laws" and "principles" have been broken?
Task
What does it mean to be human?
Eddie the alien has landed on earth.
He has questions.
Give 5 criteria that, if fulfilled, make someone a human
The Teletransportation paradox
An amazing new invention has been created! A teleporter has been invented that will revolutionise travel worldwide.
The machine works by disassembling all of the particles in your body and uploading all the data of your individual cells into a computer. The data is then sent across the internet to the reassembler at your destination. Your body is reassembled in a form that is absolutely identical down to the atomic and even sub-atomic level.
No particles are sent across the internet, it is just the data. The version of you built at the other end is chemically and physically exactly the same as the version that went into the disassembler.
Question
Is the version of you reassembled still you? Do you count the disassembling process as death if you are reassembled at the other end?
One day you get some terrible news that says you need to urgently take teletransportation device to the other side of the world. It is the only method that will get you there in time.
You go to the disassmbler and the data from your cells gets transported across the internet....but...you wake up a day later to find that you are still in Hong Kong! You assume that something went wrong and figure you just cannot get to the other side of the world. You go home and a few days pass.
Three days later you get a phone call...from you! A version of you was reassembled on the other side of the world! Your current body is now a mistake. You are an error. The voice on the end of the phone tells you that you need to go back to the Teletransportation station to be dissasembled. You should not exist in your current form.
Question
Explain your thoughts on what should happen to you in the teletransporter case study.
What emotions does this make you feel?
Why do you think you feel this way?
What if you took the point of view of your teleported self?
How do people of religious faith experience and express spirituality?
Like it or not...the human experience has an element of spirituality no matter what your religious views are. Humans simply do not work like robots...and that’s a good thing!
Spirituality can be expressed and experienced in many different ways.
For members of the major world religions this usually takes the form of;
1) Belonging to a wider faith-based community
2) Individual commitments and duties
Use the handout here to help fill in the table below (You should recreate this in your exercises books using an entire page turned landscape);
An amazing new invention has been created! A teleporter has been invented that will revolutionise travel worldwide.
The machine works by disassembling all of the particles in your body and uploading all the data of your individual cells into a computer. The data is then sent across the internet to the reassembler at your destination. Your body is reassembled in a form that is absolutely identical down to the atomic and even sub-atomic level.
No particles are sent across the internet, it is just the data. The version of you built at the other end is chemically and physically exactly the same as the version that went into the disassembler.
Question
Is the version of you reassembled still you? Do you count the disassembling process as death if you are reassembled at the other end?
One day you get some terrible news that says you need to urgently take teletransportation device to the other side of the world. It is the only method that will get you there in time.
You go to the disassmbler and the data from your cells gets transported across the internet....but...you wake up a day later to find that you are still in Hong Kong! You assume that something went wrong and figure you just cannot get to the other side of the world. You go home and a few days pass.
Three days later you get a phone call...from you! A version of you was reassembled on the other side of the world! Your current body is now a mistake. You are an error. The voice on the end of the phone tells you that you need to go back to the Teletransportation station to be dissasembled. You should not exist in your current form.
Question
Explain your thoughts on what should happen to you in the teletransporter case study.
What emotions does this make you feel?
Why do you think you feel this way?
What if you took the point of view of your teleported self?
How do people of religious faith experience and express spirituality?
Like it or not...the human experience has an element of spirituality no matter what your religious views are. Humans simply do not work like robots...and that’s a good thing!
Spirituality can be expressed and experienced in many different ways.
For members of the major world religions this usually takes the form of;
1) Belonging to a wider faith-based community
2) Individual commitments and duties
Use the handout here to help fill in the table below (You should recreate this in your exercises books using an entire page turned landscape);
Religion |
What is the faith community like? Describe in detail. |
Individual commitments and duties |
Task
Create a mood board explaining how humanity expresses and experiences spirituality.
You should include;
-As many elements from your table as you can
-Any personal ideas you can think of with regards to how you might experience spirituality in your own life.
Lesson 3 - How are crime and punishment considered and treated by society?
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What is a crime?
Why do people commit crimes?
What are the aims of punishment?
In every society on the planet, those who are found guilty of an offence are usually punished. However, a judge or magistrate is supposed to consider what they hope to achieve with a punishment before they give it out.
What purpose does it serve?
Task
Match the aim of punishment with its definition on the handout sheet
Questions
1. Which aims of punishment do you feel work best for society? Why?
2. Which work least well?
What forms of punishment are there?
Most societies have a range of punishments for criminal acts. These are usually handed down to convicted criminals depending upon;
Task
In your pairs you will;
-Conduct research into a method of punishment
-Consider the aims and outcomes of the method
-Consider the benefits and negatives of the method
-Give some examples of where this type of punishment is used or has been controversial
Lesson 4 - How do religions consider and deal with crime and punishment?
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Create a mood board explaining how humanity expresses and experiences spirituality.
You should include;
-As many elements from your table as you can
-Any personal ideas you can think of with regards to how you might experience spirituality in your own life.
Lesson 3 - How are crime and punishment considered and treated by society?
Click for PowerPoint
Click for handout
What is a crime?
Why do people commit crimes?
What are the aims of punishment?
In every society on the planet, those who are found guilty of an offence are usually punished. However, a judge or magistrate is supposed to consider what they hope to achieve with a punishment before they give it out.
What purpose does it serve?
Task
Match the aim of punishment with its definition on the handout sheet
- Deterrence
- Protection
- Reform
- Reparation
- Retribution
- Vindication of the law
Questions
1. Which aims of punishment do you feel work best for society? Why?
2. Which work least well?
What forms of punishment are there?
Most societies have a range of punishments for criminal acts. These are usually handed down to convicted criminals depending upon;
- The severity of the crime
- The nature and circumstances of the offender
Task
In your pairs you will;
-Conduct research into a method of punishment
-Consider the aims and outcomes of the method
-Consider the benefits and negatives of the method
-Give some examples of where this type of punishment is used or has been controversial
Lesson 4 - How do religions consider and deal with crime and punishment?
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Religion |
What is the basis of the law? Are there any guiding principles? |
How are punishments decided upon? What punishments are delivered? |
Task
How far do religions agree on Capital Punishment?
This should be a fully developed answer with a clear example and explanation - we will be peer marking!
Lesson 5 - What are the different views on Euthanasia?Click for PowerPoint
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Lesson 6: Abortion
Different Perspectives of Abortion
Using the BBC website (here), summarise the different views and perspectives on abortion. The more detail you give the better. Do not copy and paste directly from the website. Copy of table found (HERE)
How far do religions agree on Capital Punishment?
This should be a fully developed answer with a clear example and explanation - we will be peer marking!
Lesson 5 - What are the different views on Euthanasia?Click for PowerPoint
Click for handout
Lesson 6: Abortion
Different Perspectives of Abortion
Using the BBC website (here), summarise the different views and perspectives on abortion. The more detail you give the better. Do not copy and paste directly from the website. Copy of table found (HERE)