Year 8 - Religious education
The nature of human goodness
Ethics: how do we know what is 'good'?
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will use a philosophical lens to consider what we mean by good. They will examine various ethical answers given such deontology, utilitarianism and situation ethics. They will conclude by weighing up the issue of suffering in the world.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how the existence of moral evil contributes to the debate on whether humans are inherently good.
Key Notes
- There is disagreement about the meaning of the word 'good' and whether it is an absolute or relative concept.
- Moral evil is evil caused by human choice and natural evil is caused by natural events or forces.
- There are different philosophical, psychological and sociological perspectives on whether humans are inherently good.
- History gives us examples to support both the inherent goodness and the inherent evil of humans.
Vocabulary To Learn
- absolute: something that is always true and unchanging
- relative: something that is dependent on or connected to something else
- inherent: naturally part of something
- moral evil: actions or behaviour done by humans that are intentionally harmful or wrong, such as lying, stealing, or violence
- natural evil: suffering and harm caused by natural events or forces, such as earthquakes, floods, or diseases, which are not caused by human actions
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- If humans are capable of moral evil, it means they are inherently evil.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
There is disagreement about the meaning of the word 'good' and whether it is an absolute or relative concept. Moral evil is evil caused by human choice and natural evil is caused by natural events or forces.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'absolute'
something that is always true and unchanging.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: If humans are capable of moral evil, it means they are inherently evil. Correction: Being capable of moral evil doesn't mean humans are inherently evil; it suggests that humans have free will and the ability to choose both good and bad actions, depending on circumstances and influences.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 8 Religious education guide library.