Lord of the Flies pre-reading: Reflections on Morality

If I did not have you in class last semester, you will need to set up your blog. You can find the directions here. You may set up your blog now and complete this reflection post at home if necessary, OR you may write the reflection post on Google Drive for now, set up your blog at home, and copy + paste your reflection on to the blog after that.

The first thing we did this semester was a simulation activity, "Who Should Survive?". Then, we read and discussed "The Vexing Mental Tug of War Called Morality" by Kristin Ohlson. On your blog, please select one or more of the following questions and write a brief reflection.

• In the activity or in the discussion, did your thought processes and decisions surprise you? Were you surprised by the thought processes and decisions of your peers?

• How might the simulation relate to one of our essential questions for the Lord of the Flies unit?
• How do societal structures function and why might they break?

• How might the article relate to one of our essential questions for the Lord of the Flies unit?

• How are an individual's moral beliefs shaped and what factors could cause those morals to change?

• Are you more of a moral absolutist (like Immanuel Kant) or a moral utilitarian (like John Stuart Mill)? How do you know?

• Do you hold any beliefs about human morality in general? If so, what are they, and why do you believe this? (For example, do you believe people are inherently good? Inherently evil?)