Values - Thinking Deeply About Our Values [P4C - Philosophy & Ethics Lesson]

This ‘Fun Philosophy Lesson’ delves into the topic of values, encouraging students to think deeply about personal and moral values as well as the nature of value itself. This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16 and is perfect for Philosophy, Ethics, Social Studies, and PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education) classrooms. It also supports your school’s SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social, & Cultural) education objectives. As with all our resources, it is designed to be inclusive and universal, making it suitable for educators in any country.

This interactive, multi-use session is especially valuable for teachers of Philosophy, Ethics, and Social Studies. It covers a wide range of compelling topics, including:

The origins of personal values
The difference between moral and non-moral values
The role of culture and society in shaping values
The question of whether values are absolute or relative
The philosophical debate over what makes something “valuable”
 
The big question posed in this session is, “what are your core values?” Students will also explore other essential philosophical and ethical questions, such as:

Are some values universal, or do they depend on culture?
What are the most important values in our society?
Can values ever conflict, and how should we resolve those conflicts?
Should we value experiences more than things?
Should we value the happiness of others more than our own?
 
Students will evaluate and discuss a variety of philosophical claims, such as:

“Different cultures have different values: some are objectively better than others”
“What we value most reveals who we are.”
“In truth: nothing actually has value, it’s all just a subjective construct of the mind”
“Society decides what is valuable.”
“Moral values are more important than personal values.”
 
This session uses our signature teaching format, featuring an integrated menu with a variety of options for starters, mains, plenaries, assessments, and end-of-lesson reflections. With a wide selection of activities—debates, discussions, and philosophical explorations—the resource can be reused multiple times with the same group. It is ideal for P4C (Philosophy for Children) sessions and offers students an opportunity to engage in critical and reflective thinking.

The file is provided as a non-editable PowerPoint Show, requiring no planning or preparation. Simply run the file, and the intuitive menu system makes delivering this inspiring philosophy session effortless!