Inspiring Virtue with Moral Beauty

Introducing the topic

• Start the lesson by asking students whether they have heard of the concept of moral beauty. If they have, ask them to share what they know about it, and if they haven’t, ask them to share their thoughts about what they think it is.
• Explain to students that moral beauty refers to those acts of charity, kindness, love, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, courage, loyalty, self-sacrifice, resilience, or any other strong display of virtue that move and uplift us.

Watching and debriefing the video

• Have students watch the following video (3:05) that includes several examples of moral beauty. Invite them to notice their emotional reaction to the video as they watch it.
• After showing the video ask students the following questions:
  • What emotions or thoughts came to mind when watching this video?
  • Why do you think you experienced those emotions or thoughts?
• Note: Witnessing moral beauty often makes us feel more hopeful, empathic, unselfish, and forgiving, and a deeper sense of connection with our community, with nature, and with all of humanity. If students’ answers to the questions above reflect any of these responses, you might point out that this is a natural reaction to seeing moral beauty in action.

Writing about moral beauty

• Ask students to write a short paragraph or essay either about an act of moral beauty that they witnessed or about someone whom they believe displays moral beauty. Provide students some time to do some research if needed.
• The following questions may be used to guide their writing:
  • Describe the act of moral beauty that you witnessed. Who was involved? What happened? How did it make you feel? OR Who is the person who displays moral beauty and why do you think they do so?
  • What virtues become salient in your mind when you think about this experience or person (e.g., justice, kindness, courage, self-sacrifice)?
  • What moves you about this experience or person?
  • How might you reflect the same kind of moral beauty in your own life?

Closure

• Invite students to share their stories with a partner, small group, or whole class.
• Close the activity with by asking students the following questions:
  • What insight did you gain from this activity?
  • Why might witnessing moral beauty be important?

Source

Dacher Keltner, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Evidence That It Works

In a series of studies, researchers used multiple methods to induce elevation—the uplifting feeling we experience when witnessing moral beauty—including recalling a personal experience of moral beauty, videos, and letter-writing. Among college students (70-80% white), the experience of moral beauty was related to an increased desire to engage in prosocial behavior or to connect with others (e.g., doing something good for another person or meeting new people).

Another study with 77 female college students in the UK found that when participants viewed an elevation-inducing video, they spent more time helping the experimenter with an additional, unrelated task compared to participants who simply watched a nature video.

A review of research on moral beauty and elevation found that moral beauty, which can elicit awe and elevation, is related to greater prosocial behavior, charitable donations, a desire to be a better mentor for others, a desire to be an organ donor, increased cooperation, and an overall desire to be a better person.

Furthermore, a 2-week online study with 481 mainly Dutch adolescents (ages 10-18) found that when adolescents reported being moved by stories they found in the media, they also reported giving more emotional support to family and friends, and helping others, including strangers.

Why Does It Matter?

With so much negative news coverage, it’s easy for students to feel hopeless or disconnected from others. Moral beauty can help counter this feeling by grounding students in the goodness of humanity. Experiencing moral beauty not only triggers positive feelings, but it inspires greater compassion and generosity.

What’s even more beautiful is that the desire to help, elicited by moral beauty, transcends traditional group boundaries. In fact, some research has found that experiencing moral beauty can increase people’s desire to donate to charities benefiting other social groups, decrease beliefs in hierarchy, increase feelings of connection with those from different racial/ethnic groups, and generally improve attitudes towards outgroup members.

Thus, exposing children to moral beauty in schools could be key to fostering safe and welcoming classroom environments in which children can flourish and be inspired to make our world a better place.