Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

“Morality” ESL Discussion Questions

I. Understanding Morality
1. What does “being moral” mean to you?
2. How do you know if something is right or wrong?
3. Do you think everyone has the same sense of morality?
4. Why is morality important in society?
5. How can we learn about good morals?

II. Morals in Daily Life
6. How do morals affect our choices every day?
7. Can you give an example of a moral decision you’ve made?
8. What do you do when you face a moral dilemma?
9. How do you feel when someone does something immoral?
10. Why is it sometimes hard to make the moral choice?

III. Morality Across Cultures
11. How do different cultures teach morals?
12. Are there universal morals that every culture agrees on?
13. How can we respect the morals of another culture?
14. What happens when two cultures have different moral views?
15. Can traveling to different places change your morals?

IV. Morality and Religion
16. How do religions guide people in morality?
17. Do you need to be religious to be moral?
18. Can people of different religions have the same morals?
19. How do religious texts talk about morality?
20. What role do religious leaders play in teaching morals?

V. Ethics and Morality
21. What is the difference between ethics and morality?
22. How do businesses use morals and ethics?
23. Why is it important for companies to act ethically?
24. What is an ethical dilemma?
25. Can a decision be ethical but immoral, or vice versa?

VI. Morality in Leadership
26. Why must leaders have good morals?
27. How do the morals of a leader affect a group or country?
28. What should people do if their leader acts immorally?
29. Can you think of a leader who showed good morals?
30. How do leaders set moral standards?

VII. Teaching Morality
31. How can parents teach their children about morality?
32. What is the role of schools in moral education?
33. How do stories and fables teach us morals?
34. Can you learn morality from friends?
35. What happens if children are not taught good morals?

VIII. Morality and the Law
36. How are laws related to morals?
37. Can something be legal but immoral?
38. Should all immoral actions be illegal?
39. How do laws change as society’s morals change?
40. What is “civil disobedience”?

IX. Morality in Society
41. What is moral responsibility?
42. How do morals help communities?
43. Can society function without shared morals?
44. What are the consequences of a lack of morality in a community?
45. How do protests reflect society’s morals?

X. Morality and Technology
46. How has technology affected our morals?
47. What moral issues does the internet present?
48. Can artificial intelligence have morals?
49. How do we handle moral questions in science and medicine?
50. What is digital ethics?

XI. Moral Conflicts
51. How do you handle situations with moral conflicts?
52. Can you compromise on your morals?
53. How do people resolve moral disagreements?
54. What is moral relativism?
55. Is it ever okay to break a moral rule?

XII. Personal Morality
56. How do you develop your own sense of morality?
57. What do you do when your morals are tested?
58. How do your personal morals impact your relationships?
59. Have your morals changed over time?
60. How do personal morals contribute to your identity?