MELBOURNE GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Dr Felicity McCutcheon, Head of Philosophy and Religion
VCE PHILOSOPHY: UNIT 3 – OUTCOME 3
ORAL PRESENTATION - TOTAL MARKS: 30
You are to prepare a speech of between 8-10 minutes from the following
options:
a) You will read a letter you have written to your unborn child, advising
them on the best way to live (with reference to 21st century)
b) You are delivering a lecture as the Director of the newly opened
“Human Wellbeing” centre to an audience of people who are
overcoming drug and/or alcohol addictions and seeking answers to the
question of how they can live a flourishing life
c) You are a philosopher who has been asked by the government to give
a speech to Parliament, recommending policy on how to address the
huge increase in anti-social and costly behaviours like binge drinking,
road rage and obesity.
d) You are a social commentator (like Hugh Mackay) being interviewed on
the radio on the topic of the increasing popularity of ‘instant make over’
programs (and associated ‘enhancement’ technologies). You are
invited to comment on whether quick fixes can satisfy the human desire
for meaning and happiness in the long term.
In your speech you must:




Present the arguments (detailed and precise) from one of the set
texts in relation to the good life in relation to the contemporary
debate/context (Set texts include Aristotle's Ethics, Plato's Gorgias,
Nietzsche and Iris Murdoch)
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of another way of thinking
about the good life in relation to the contemporary debate/context
Critically compare and evaluate the viewpoints and relevant arguments
presented in relation to the debate/context
Develop a clear conclusion about the application of the viewpoints to
the debate/context
Other ways of thinking about how we should live could include:

Religious: Christianity, Buddhism, Indigenous spirituality,

Philosophical: Stoicism, Epicurean, Kantian, Utilitarianism,
Environmentalism, Existentialism

Secular: Materialism, Objectivism, Egoism, Psychological theories of
wellbeing, Evolutionary Biology, or material from other media sources
Preparation for SAC 3

Research a view on the good life from a philosophical, religious or
other tradition, getting clear on the main viewpoints and arguments with
regard to living well. [What assumptions are being made about
‘happiness’ and the ‘good life’? What assumptions are being made
about human nature and about its relationship to living well?]

Prepare notes that compare and contrast your researched viewpoint
with one of the arguments in the set texts [How do they converge with
or diverge from the views and arguments considered in the course?
Are the participants in the discussion explicitly or implicitly appealing to
views/arguments considered in the course?]

Choose your preferred format for the speech (from the first list)

Develop a conclusion of your own in relation to the
debate/question/context

Craft your material to address the assessment criteria

Practise the speech to ensure timing is within the limits
NOTE: You need to inform me of the topic you have chosen to research.
YEAR 12 PHILOSOPHY – OUTCOME 3
ORAL PRESENTATION ASSESSMENT SHEET
NAME______________________________________________
__________(25-30 marks) Precise and detailed knowledge and understanding of
the viewpoints/arguments offered in at least one set text in relation to the good life.
Thorough understanding of some aspect of another way of thinking about the good
life and how it relates to contemporary debate. Identifies and elaborates on points of
agreement and disagreement between the texts on the issue. Insightful and wellsupported evaluation and conclusion. Language is always precise and appropriate
to the task.
__________(20-24 marks) Sound knowledge and understanding of the
viewpoints/arguments offered in at least one set text in relation to the good life.
Sound understanding of some aspect of another way of thinking about the good life
and how it relates to contemporary debate. Identifies and elaborates on points of
agreement and disagreement between the texts on the issue although some may not be
fully developed. Clear and well-supported conclusion. Language is generally
precise and appropriate to the task.
_________(15-19 marks) Good, basic knowledge and understanding of the view
points offering in at least one set text. Good basic understanding of some other way
of thinking about the good life and how it relates to contemporary debate. Clearly
identifies points of agreement and disagreement but may lack elaboration. Attempted
evaluation which is underdeveloped. Clear conclusion with minimal support.
Language generally clear and appropriate to the task.
_________(10-14 marks) Good, basic knowledge and understanding of the view
points offering in at least one set text or good basic understanding of some other
way of thinking about the good life. Superficial awareness of how they relate to
contemporary debate. Identifies points of agreement and/or disagreement with little
elaboration. Evaluation offered but is consistently underdeveloped. Attempts at
conclusion which may be unclear and supported. Language has some clarity and is
generally appropriate to the task.
________(1-9 marks) General and simplistic understanding of the set text or of
another way of thinking about the good life. Relation to the question unclear and
receives little or no elaboration. Some attempt at comparison but this is unclear or
inaccurate. Evaluation unsupported. No clear conclusion. Language has little or
no clarity and is, at times, inappropriate to the task.
Comments:
SAMPLE RESPONSE
YR 12 PHILOSOPHY STUDENT, MGS
Members of Parliament, I stand before you today to enlighten you as to why the
Labour Party’s attempt to combat teenage binge drinking with a simple tax on mixed
drinks has failed, miserably. First I will identify the kind of behaviour being shown by
teenagers, before coming to a conclusion as to what kind of values must be instilled in
them to successfully combat this epidemic. I will now refer you to the philosophy of
the Cyrenaics.
The Cyrenaics are one of the minor Socratic schools notable mainly for their sensual
hedonism; that is they advocate pleasure as the highest good. Furthermore, they argue
that bodily pleasures are preferable to mental pleasures, and that we should pursue
whatever will bring us pleasure now, rather than deferring present pleasures for the
sake of achieving better long-term outcomes. Sound familiar? Hypothetically, if a
teenager’s sub conscience had a voice it would say something like this: “The highest
good is my own pleasure, with all else being valuable only as a means of securing my
own pleasure… and drinking beer is way better than the satisfaction of getting an A+
for my Philosophy SAC.”
The Cyrenaics are similar to the philosopher Aristotle in the sense that they agree that
the ‘highest good’ is what we all seek for its own sake, and not for the sake of
anything else. However they identify this as pleasure, and they argue that we
instinctively seek pleasure for its own sake, and when we achieve pleasure, we want
nothing more. Likewise, pain is bad because we shun it.
It is important to identify the exact kind of pleasure the Cyrenaics value. When the
Cyrenaics say that 'pleasure' is the highest good, they do not mean that pleasure in
general is good, so that we should seek to maximize the overall amount of pleasure in
the world, as Utilitarians say. Instead, they mean that, for each of us, our own pleasure
is what is valuable to us, because that is what each of us seeks. Also, each of us can
only experience our own pleasures, and not the pleasures of other people. Once again,
teenagers in a nutshell. The Cyrenaics admit that there are both bodily pleasures (such
as eating when one is hungry) and mental pleasures (such as a delight at the prosperity
of one's political party), and they maintain that not all mental pleasures are based
upon bodily pleasures. However, they exalt bodily over mental pleasures, presumably
because bodily pleasures are much more vivid than mental pleasures. Hence they also
assert that bodily pains are worse than mental pains, and give as evidence of this the
fact that criminals are punished with bodily pains instead of mental ones. This is
consistent for teenagers, pull out the wooden spoon and you’ll see a reaction of far
greater magnitude than if you were to simply give them a ‘strict telling off’.
Another striking feature of the Cyrenaic theory is its lack of concern for future
consequences. The Cyrenaics advocate going after whatever will bring you pleasure
now, enjoying the pleasure while you are experiencing it, and not worrying too much
about what the future will bring. The texts we have do not allow us to obtain with
absolute certainty the reasons that the Cyrenaics have for their belief in the pleasures
of the moment. There are at least three plausible speculations however, and it is my
opinion that these provide possible answers to the questions ‘why do teenagers binge
drink?’ ‘Why do they get drunk repeatedly without ever learning from the head
splitting hangover the following morning, or the 20 000 dollars in public damages, or
the pictures that show up in the paper of them standing in a sleeping bag in their own
backyard wearing arguably the ugliest sunglasses of all time?
The first reason might be that they are sceptical about personal identity across time. If
all you have access to are momentary, fluctuating experiences, what reason do you
have to think that the 'self' that exists today will be the same 'self' as the person who
will bear your name 30 years later? After all, in most respects, a person at 45 years
old is almost completely different from that 'same' person at 15, and the 'same' person
at 70 will also be different. So, if what you desire is pleasure for yourself, what reason
do you have to sacrifice your pleasures for the sake of the pleasures of that 'other'
person down the temporal stream? Nursing a hangover, or deep in debt, that future
self might curse the past self for his intemperance, but what concern is that of yours?
Yes this is selfish, not to mention irrational. But then so are teenagers.
The second reason: The Cyrenaics think that "to pile up the pleasures which produce
happiness is most unpleasant," because one will need to be choosing things which are
painful for the sake of future pleasures. The Cyrenaics instead aim at enjoying the
pleasures that are present, without letting themselves be troubled at what is in the past
or the future. Yes this is lazy. Teenagers again.
Finally, the Cyrenaics lack of future-concern may result from radically relativising the
good to one's present preferences. Cyrenaics assert that there is no telos or goal to life;
instead, particular actions and desires each aim at some particular pleasure. So the
notion of some overall goal or good for one's entire life is rejected and is replaced by
a succession of short-terms goals. As one's desires change over time, what is good for
you at that time likewise changes, and at each moment, it makes sense to try to satisfy
the desires that one has at that time, without regard to the desires one may happen to
have in the future. Lack of direction in life? Teenagers!
So now it becomes apparent that what we need to instil in our young men and women
of tomorrow is an ideal that encourages reasoning, virtue and purpose. Such a method
of living the ‘good’ life can be found in the beliefs and arguments of Aristotle.
Aristotle argues that we as humans have a particular function that is unique to us. Our
function is the use of reason. By using reason, and therefore performing our function
well, we achieve our final end or telos, happiness. He dismisses the Cyrenaic notion
of pleasure as being the ‘highest good’ by arguing that we only seek pleasure for the
sake of happiness, and since the Cyrenaics agree that the ‘highest good’ is what we all
seek for its own sake, and not for the sake of anything else, this is all the more
relevant. In order to be happy, we must be fulfil our function, and be ‘virtuous’.
Aristotle claims that to be virtuous, we must execute reason to find the mean between
excessive and deficient behaviour. He advocates moderation, as achieving it is
beneficial to you, whereas excess and deficit are detrimental. Binge drinking is an
excess, as it is shown to be detrimental to your well-being in the long run. Aristotle
tells us to employ reason to acknowledge what is good for you and what is bad. This
is his idea of moral virtue. Such virtue comes about as a result of ethical habituation.
Habits do not arise in us from birth, but we by nature have the capacity to receive and
perfect them. By practicing virtuous behaviour in our youth, we learn to act virtuously,
just as ‘a builder learns to build by building’. According to Aristotle, a ‘good’
government attempts to habituate its citizens to act virtuously. Things aren’t as simple
as that however. Aristotle acknowledges that for everyone there is a different mean, as
we can experience in every day life (for example an adult can afford to drink more
than a teenager). So laying down one definitive restriction would not be effective, as
we must take into consideration that it should be the individual who decides what is
best for them, we must be practical in the application of moral philosophy, as
Aristotle himself demands. We can help them by assisting in the ethical habituation
that Aristotle speaks of, while taking into account that everyone’s needs are different.
You must also have the teenagers of this country acknowledge the reason why they
must find their mean, as they cannot be virtuous unless they understand what they are
doing, and enjoy doing it. The right education on matters such drinking is crucial, and
programs that would achieve this should be prioritised above mere taxes. That said,
we must acknowledge that what it is teenagers seek, pleasure, cannot be judged
impartially because it is in human nature to seek it, and so it is often difficult to resist
its temptation (Aristotle and the Cyrenaics are in agreement with this at least). Any
action you take must reflect an acknowledgement of this, and be fair as well as
effective in helping them understand this too, and hence give them reason to be more
conscious of the harm their desires can cause. In the end it is a state of character that
we need to instil in our teenagers, Aristotle’s virtue.
Thank You.