Yesterday we had a philosophical debate starting with the realities of the anti hero which led through to a vigorous discussion about human morality.

Beginning with a question about whether the undercover policeman Mark Kennedy could be considered an anti hero, Asim queried as to whether it was acceptable for one person to be sacrificed to save many. This led Kasey to wonder if this rule was equally valid when it came to the sacrifice being a life. We returned to earlier territory covered by Anis: “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”  Finn led us into further philosophical ground with his comment that ultimately killing someone isn’t wrong – it may be morally wrong but this is based on a set of rules designed by us as a society, not by nature itself. Matthew was shocked by this and prompted a discussion on nature vs nurture – are we born with morals or do we acquire them? “It’s all a matter of perspective.” David concluded.

It was a spectacular debate and every member of the class added a valuable comment, query or argument which the above summary can not do justice to. This demonstrates what a fantastic discussion it was and, as I said at the end of the lesson, proves how far the study of English can open our minds. Well done team!