From the classic psychological "what stage of development is this child/person at" (concrete, etc.)...
If stealing is almost always wrong... can you think of any times when it is or was the right thing to do? ((Examples: the children "living rough" aka homeless during the blitz in london in WWII... necessary medicine at any point in history or the present... ... lost in the woods and find someone's empty vacation cabin... fleeing for your life, would you steal a blanket to keep from freezing to death, or a child from freezing to death... etc.most of the "right" answers, and there are hundreds of examples, are in situations where stealing is lifesaving and either the only way to go about it, or every other option -charities, social services, etc have either been exhausted or don't exist. So there are many many reasons when stealing, which is wrong, is the right thing to do.))
There are TOO many to even to list... but "Philosophy for Kids" by David A White, Phd... is a phenomenal book.
Here's two examples from the "Values" section:
Should you ever tell a lie / Is a lie ever justified?
- If your mother asked if you had a cookie, and you had, would you lie and deny it?
- If your best friend was wearing an extremely unattractive outfit, would you lie and tell her she looks great, even when she looks like a walking disaster?
- If you knew you could get someone you really didn't like into trouble by telling a lie about that person would you do it?
- If you knew you could get accepted into a very good university by lying on your application for admission, would you do it?
- If you could become wealthy by telling a lie, would you do it?
- If you could save a person's life by telling a lie, would you do it?
The book then goes on to talk about different views surrounding lying. Like Emanuel Kant, that lying is never justified to the quote "Lying is an indispensable part of making life tolerable"
Is violence ever justified?
- If you have been continually harassed and bothered by the class bully, are you justified in hitting this person?
- If you belong to a group of people who, for some reason, have been treated unjustly, are you and your group justified in using violence?
- If your country has been attacked by another country, are you justified in using violence to defend your country?
The book then goes on to talk about MLK, Ghandi, etc.
Here are some more topics from Values (philosophers who weigh in on the topics span from Plato to Thoreau to Einstein, plus artists/ writers:
1 Are you a fair and just person?
2 How do you know who your friends are?
3 Should you be rewarded for your efforts in school?
4 Should you let little things bother you?
5 Is it your duty to give to charity?
6 Will having fun make you happier than studying?
7 Should you ever tell a lie?
8 Are there times when you should be violent?
9 Do you sometimes feel weird when you are with others?
10 Do we control technology, or does it control us?
IV- Critical Thinking
32 Should you always listen to the opinions of others?
33 Should you critisize people or the opinions people have?
36 If many people think something is true, is it true?
37 Do two wrongs balance out to make a right?
38 Can something logical ever not make sense?
