Philosophy class: Is it ethical to make — and play — war games?

This article, picked by a teacher with suggested questions, is part of the Financial Times free schools access programme. Details/registration here.

Specification:

• Applied ethics

Click to view the article below and then answer the questions:

Is it ethical to make — and play — war games?

• Is it ethical to spend one’s evenings or weekends pretending to shoot people?

• Is there a difference between watching simulated killing (film) and doing the simulated killing (games)?

• Calculate the possible net pleasure produced by the game Sniper Elite 5

• Consider Kant’s categorical imperative: do you have a duty to not play games that involve simulated killing?

• Considering Aristotle’s claim that virtues and vices are like skills, habits or dispositions of character: what virtues or vices could repeated simulated killing lead to?

• Would these be limited to virtual realities (could an insensitivity to killing in a simulated reality lead to insensitivity to killing in the real world?)      

Jack Robertson, Queen Elizabeth’s School Barnet