Four Week P4HE Course (New Themes)

This is a philosphy class for children running in 4 week blocks.

Week 1:  The Sum of Human Happiness 

How many chicken dinners add up to as much happiness as one ticket to a concert of your favourite band? Should we care what the chicken thinks about it? In this session, we’ll look at ways philosophers have tried to come up with a formula for good and bad, taking into account pleasure and suffering, balancing the sufferings of one person against the happiness of others. Are more slightly happy people a better result than a few very happy ones?

Week 2: A.I? Eee! O - you?

If you found out a friend was a computer, should you still be friends? What would it take for a robot to have a mind of its own? Could switching one off ever be robotslaughter? If we can develop super intelligent machines, should we? If we do, how can we control them? Lots of questions that are sci-fi now but may become sci-fact during your lifetimes.

Week 3: The Us

Imagine yourself outside of time, in a sort of cosmic waiting room. While you are there, you get to set the rules for the society in which you are going to live. The twist is, you don't know who you are going to be. You'll get a ticket for the Lottery of Life on your way in, and only at the end when you have organised the world as you see fit will you find out who you are going to be, and whether you are a winner or a loser by your decisions. 

Week 4: The Philosophy of Fibs

By special request from one of last week’s participants, this session explores the ethics (and a bit of the science!) of lies. When, if ever, is it OK to lie? Should governments ever be less than honest with their people? If a doctor thinks, on good evidence, that a placebo that has no medical effect will make a patient feel better, should they be free to prescribe it? When does not telling the whole truth become a lie? This and a million other questions (Is exaggeration a lie?)