Advice for teachers -
Philosophy

Unit 4 – Area of Study 2:
Living the good life in the twenty-first century

Outcome 2:

Discuss contemporary debates related to technological development and the good life, and examine the interplay between technological development and conceptions of the good life.

Examples of learning activities

Write a role-play (to be performed) on the interplay between technology and the good life.
Analyse the key perspectives of the good life to be found in the article 'Emerging Trends in Psychology: Tech Dependency' posted by Tricia Hussung on the Concordia University website. Is the best solution to simply 'switch off' technology?
Participate in a jigsaw activity defining, analysing and exploring the relationships between the following core concepts for discussion in Unit 4 Area of Study 2: progress, reality, control, dependency, freedom and creativity.
Conduct a class debate on the topic: 'Is technology a dangerous dependency?' considering and referring to at least one of the other concepts for Unit 4 Area of Study 2 (progress, reality, control, freedom or creativity) and providing examples of relevant technologies that illustrate the contention.
Draw a T-chart that compares the essential conclusions of the key arguments presented in one philosophical source to the arguments considered in another philosophical source on how technology enables us to lead better lives.
Write a series of notes or an essay that relates the key arguments presented in relevant aspects of the set texts (as a philosophical source) to the role of technology in the good life.
Using a Venn Diagram, list on one side examples of where technology has contributed to social good, and on the other side where it has not. In the overlapping part, write examples of technology that are considered to be neutral. Examples of technology include: mobile phones, aeroplanes, immunisations. For each technology, discuss the role it has in the good life.
Watch a documentary on the role of technology in life and then create a documentary that explores the influence technology should have in the good life.
Consider a medical technology such as vaccinations. Consider whether there is any tension between the freedom of the individual and the good of society, and whether social policies should be responsive to a particular conception of the good life.
Engage in a Community of Inquiry on the question of whether technology is always a means to an end (like the good life) or an end in itself. A model explaining the Community of Inquiry can be found at The Community of Inquiry blog.
Construct a response to the prompt: 'Technology is always a means to achieve and realise our preferred values and the good life'. This can be presented as a written reflection, a debate or dialogue or essay.
Drawing on the conceptions of the good life from Unit 4 Area of Study 1, write a reflection on the role that values of the good life should play in influencing technological developments or the extent to which technology dictates our values within a good life.
Watch a TED Talk on social equality, technology and the good life.
Construct a two-column table with positives on one side and negatives on the other side. Fill in the columns while discussing the question: 'To what extent does technology enhance or undermine our ability to live a good life?' Extend by including specific technological examples.
Write a response to the following prompt: 'Does electronic surveillance undermine an individual's freedom or right to privacy and is the benefit worth the cost?' For extension: 'To what extent should governments or corporations be responsive to the issues concerning surveillance?' Some useful links include: 'Call for airport-style surveillance "in every 7-Eleven, Myer, Coles, Woolies"' by Ruth McCosker in The Sydney Morning Herald or 'Surveillance used to be a bad thing. Now, we happily let our employers spy on us' by André Spicer in The Guardian.
Discuss whether or not involvement in charitable works is a necessary component of a good life. Then, articulate the values upon which the evaluation is based. Finally, discuss whether the development of technology (refrigeration, air transport, mass communication, etc.) has increased our obligation to others, even if they live in other parts of the world.
Find and compare two quotes on the relationship between control and power, the good life and technology. For example: 'Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it' (Max Frisch) and 'Study hard so that you can master technology, which allows us to master nature' (Che Guevara). In small groups or individually, present to the class an analysis of the meaning of each quote. Include the local, social and global implications of accepting either position and explain the evaluation of the chosen quote.
Write an essay exploring the interplay of technology and freedom.
Discuss the role of drones in warfare and consider the arguments for and against the use of un-manned craft in war zones. Some useful articles for discussion and debate include: 'How Intelligent Drones Are Shaping the Future of Warfare' by Benjamin Powers in Rolling Stone or 'Drone warfare: Life on the new front line' by Chris Woods in The Guardian or 'Is Obama's Drone War Moral: The Ethics of Defensive Killing?' by Matt Peterson in The Atlantic.
Plan, construct and present a marketing campaign that argues for the role of technology in a good life. Research thinkers such as Karl Marx, Simone Weil, Adam Smith, and organisations such as the United Nations or the mission statements of private business enterprises. The advertisement might be filmed, drawn, made into a brochure or presented in a speech.
Write a series of written reflections on the relationship between virtual reality and the good life.
Construct an online debate on whether or not technology is vital for happiness. Google docs might be useful for this task.
Write a reflection on the following prompt: 'It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity' (Albert Einstein). Does Einstein mean this literally, in the case of medical technology and bio-enhancement, or does he mean it more figuratively in the case of our values?
Find a case study of an example of a technology that helps individuals or society lead a better life. Explore the values underpinning the understanding of 'better' and how technology aids or improves this.
Explore ways in which technology might encourage improved educational outcomes or creativity as well as the role of education and/or creativity in the good life. Visit the webpage 'Minecraft: Education Edition'. Play the game and then consider: How can a computer game help educate young people? What value might it have in education? How might a game encourage people to lead better lives and is this possible?
Visit the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) where many of the exhibitions incorporate a range of technologies. (Teachers can first ensure the content is appropriate for students.) Examine a range of questions on the role of technology in art and in creative expression. These include: Does technology enhance creativity? Does technology improve the value of art? What role can art play in communicating a message about what is valuable in the good life?
Consider the quote from Steve Ballmer as stimulus for further thought: 'The number one benefit of information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn't think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential.' Discuss whether you agree or disagree and explain why. Alternatively, write a written response to this quote, which can be posted online in a group discussion.

Detailed example 1

Jigsaw activity: core concepts and the good life

Students consider the importance of the following concepts from Unit 4 Area of Study 2 in helping us to consider the extent to which technology should influence the good life.

This can be run as a jigsaw activity where students individually research and consider a concept and then contribute their understanding to 'complete the puzzle' for the rest of the class.

Individually, students select (or teachers can allocate) one of the concepts identified in Area of Study 2 (progress, reality, control, dependency, freedom and creativity). They complete a written reflection on the concept selected that includes a definition of the concept and an analysis of any relevant features or applications to philosophical sources studied in class.
As a class, students create a concept map that begins to define and show the relationship between the concepts. The concept map can continue to be refined from contributions made in subsequent discussion.
Individually, students find examples of technologies that either enhance or diminish the capacity to realise the good life, using their chosen concept as a focus. To assist their research, students use their concept to pose a question. For example: To what extent does social media encourage creativity? Or does it actually just lead to a preoccupation of popularity over substance? Students also consider the extent to which the example technology should influence our understanding of the concept and the good life (in this case: Is social media itself influencing how we conceive of creativity and the good life?)
Once students have appropriate examples of technology to contribute, they add them to the class concept map in red ink.
Students take the opportunity to reflect on the concept map as a whole, now that their 'pieces' have contributed to the 'whole'. Teachers encourage discussion of the concept map and the technologies identified. Notes from this discussion are added to the concept map in green ink.
Students reflect on the relationship between the good life, technology and each of the concepts, using further discussion prompts. They pay particular attention to emphasising the interplay between the good life and technology and visa-versa. For example: To what extent is creativity important in the good life and to what extent should technology be developed in such a way as to enhance our creativity? The responses to this reflection are added to the concept map in blue ink.

Detailed example 2

Watch and prepare a documentary

Students watch a documentary such as 'Fixed' which can be ordered at Fixed movie website and use it as a prompt for discussion on the role of technology and, more broadly, the issue of transhumanism. A trailer for 'Fixed' can be found on YouTube. An example of some of the issues discussed in the documentary can be found on a blog post by Ari N Shulman from The New Atlantis: '"Fixed" – A new film on disability and transhumanism'. The TED Talk by Juan Enriquez 'What will humans look like in 100 years?' is another useful source.
While watching the documentary, draw a Y-chart. Label one area 'What is seen', another 'What is heard', the other 'What is felt?' This will be useful in further discussions on the philosophical content viewed.
Students discuss the conclusions on technology and the good life established in the documentary viewed. The following questions are good prompts for starting a discussion on technology and the good life:

Can technology change what it means to be human? How?
Does technology enable us to live freer lives? Minimise our dependence on others?
Are those who have augmented their bodies better human beings than those who haven't?
What technologies help people lead better lives? What technologies might mean people lead worse lives?

In small groups, students create a script for a screencast or a documentary (or even just survey their peers and/or local community) on a range of questions to do with the good life. Students share their created work and discuss the key ideas that emerge with their audience. Possible topics for discussion include:

How can technology help us to lead a good life and avoid a bad life?
Does technology make us more dependent on more technology? Others? Corporations? Government?
Does technology make us more or less accountable to others? How?
Does technology makes us happier? How?

Detailed example 3

Technology and obligations to others

Locate viewpoints and arguments on the nature of the good life and how it is affected by the social development of a community. Identify and outline the philosophical assumptions underlying viewpoints and arguments and evaluate them as promoted in a contemporary debate about the good life and social equality. Use material found in the media. For example, Richard Wilkinson's TED Talk 'How economic inequality harms societies' or Anab Jain's TED Talk 'Why we need to imagine different futures'.

Students then respond to a series of questions that draw out the key features of the stimulus material relevant to their study of the role of technology in the good life. For example:

Do you accept the claims made in the source? Why/why not?
What are the features of a good life that you see advocated in this source?
Are they acceptable to you? Why/why not? What reasons do you have to justify your answer?
To what extent might future developments in technology influence features of the good life raised in the source?

Advice for teachers - Philosophy

Unit 4 – Area of Study 2: Living the good life in the twenty-first century