The nature of human goodness
I can explain how the existence of moral evil contributes to the debate on whether humans are inherently good.
The nature of human goodness
I can explain how the existence of moral evil contributes to the debate on whether humans are inherently good.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning 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.
- 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.
Keywords
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 misconception
If humans are capable of moral evil, it means they are inherently evil.
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.
To help you plan your year 8 religious education lesson on: The nature of human goodness, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 religious education lesson on: The nature of human goodness, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Ethics: how do we know what is 'good'? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
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