Page - 148 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

148 REfLECTIvE COsMOPOLITANIsM 7. Gianluigi’s father visited Naples when he was young and was cheated by a man who sold him a brick instead of what he had wanted to buy. Now Gianluigi hates the Neapolitans because, according to him, they all are lazy and are cheaters. 8. Gianna would like to move to Germany after her studies because she knows that the Germans are the most hardworking people in Europe and that Germany is the least corrupt country. 9. Jack has never been to Mexico and he does not want to go there because, accord- ing to him, it is a dirty and uncivilized country. Epilogue Leading Idea 1: Lying During the whole story, the characters very often lie and the reasons for their doing so vary. The principal and the school staff do not tell the truth about the functioning of the video cameras in order to avoid further thefts. Rahma calls upon Jensika to lie to her father so that she does not have to give up meeting her best friend. Jensika lies to herself and to her friend when she says that it is not true that she is afraid when she has to use the street along the Romany camp. Finally, Giggino Rough lies because he likes to make fun of the four “snobby” boys. As is evident, there are many reasons for not telling the truth, but to what extent do we ethically condemn lying? Are there any cases when lying can be ethically justified? Imagine, for example, a person who, because of the poverty in his or her native country, arrives in Italy after an illegal journey claiming to be from one of the countries at war, such as Syria or Somalia, in order to receive the status of a refugee. Could this lie be justified because the person is overcome by despair? Discussion Plan: Lying 1. If you know that telling a lie can get you out of trouble for which you were re- sponsible, is it right for you to lie? 2. If you know you can save a friend of yours if you lie, is it right for you to lie ? 3. If you realize a person has told you a lie, what would be your reaction? 4. What might be the consequences of lying? 5. What might be the consequences of telling the truth? 6. Should you always tell the truth? 7. Why do people lie? 8. Why do people tell the truth? 9. What might be a reason not to tell the truth? 10. Is not telling the truth the same as lying? 11. Is a pre-judgment a kind of lie?