A clear and simple explanation of duty-based and rights-based ethics designed for 11-year-old students to understand important moral ideas.
Ethics is about understanding what is right and wrong. It helps us figure out how to behave and make good choices.
Duty-based ethics is about doing what you are supposed to do because it's your duty or responsibility. Think of it like having rules that tell you what is right. For example, if you have a rule at school to be kind to others, duty-based ethics says you should be kind because it is your duty to follow that rule.
So, duty-based ethics focuses on doing your duty or following rules, no matter what. It’s like always doing what is right because it’s the right thing to do, not just because of what might happen.
Rights-based ethics is about respecting people's rights. Rights are things that every person should have or be allowed to do, like the right to be treated fairly, the right to say what you think, or the right to be safe.
This kind of ethics says you should treat others in a way that respects their rights. For example, everyone has the right to be listened to, so you should listen to others, too.
Both ideas help us understand how to be good and fair in the world!