Truthfulness
Lap notes/lesson plan for the Year 9 ACU Philosophy Day discussion discussion 13 October 2005
Aim: to widen thinking on times for telling the truth, on conditions for truthfulness, on its importance in society, to invite explorations of critical examples, ranking reasons for telling the truth (convenience, fear of being caught, truth invites trust, do unto others, etc.).
Texts:
Process:
On the story:
Highlight the key terms : criteria, consistency (line 30), inconsistent, Harry's criteria: truth, consequences, intentions (lines 6 & 7, page 40).
Draw attention to Mark's different answers tot he same questions lines 15 and 20. Is it better to be consistent?
Is consistency in matters of taste acceptable but not in matters of morals?
Consistency earns the reputation of telling the truth, or repute as being unreliable with the truth.
Truth-teller/ liar. Is there a middle way to protect oneself or others in situations of danger, e.g., avoidance, prevarication, deterrence? examples.
Invite explanations; build on responses, e.g., Mark lied because: he "felt like it", "end justifies the means", different situations need different responses., to protect Maria is reasonable on the evidence that the three boys meant her harm.
On the worksheet
Studying and evaluating reasons for telling the truth
Pairs discuss and score the ten cases on three responses: "I might have said this / I couldn't have said this/ I am unsure unable to respond." Tally and discuss patterns of scoring. What are the variations and why do they occur?
Make connections with the story and reinforce key terms consequences, consistency, truthfulness.
On this response: "It is human nature to lie" means: It is natural / ok/ a statistical but not a moral norm.
On the illustration: (Distribute without comment.)
Invite observations such as his tie is made up of happy and sad masks
the person inside is smaller than the person we see - applications to human beings generally.- treat people with respect they fear and hurt and deceive others like we do.
persona is mask; we wear masks all the time: home, school and community
His is conventional happy on the outside, angry/wicked/ out of control on the inside. Consequences.
Observe: He is ripping the mask off - difficult to be honest, to reveal himself.
Observe: He is revealing himself by his own hand. at his own time and choice. Has a story; trust has to be won.
Extreme cases of being forced to reveal: fear, torture, stress. Is that lying?
Best case of revealing fully is in trust in friendship.
Review:
One by one, the group makes evaluative responses on the session, shares ideas gained, comments on how philosophy has helped him/her.
References
First Mountain Foundation, Lisa Montclair, NJ/ACER Melbourne, 1983.
International Association for Philosophy for Children Ethical inquiry - Manual to Accompany "Lisa," second edition, New York and London: Lanham, 1985.