2A Buddhism - Section B: The dialogue between Buddhism and ethics — AQA A-Level Religious Studies
2A Buddhism - Section B: The dialogue between Buddhism and ethics explained
2A Buddhism - Section B: The dialogue between Buddhism and ethics covers 8 specification points, including Buddhist responses to the following approaches… and deontological, with reference to Kant.
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Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
Buddhist responses to the following approaches to moral decision-making in the light of key Buddhist moral principles:
This criterion asks you to set Buddhist moral principles against the approaches to moral decision-making listed in the specification, so the essay must do two jobs at once: state the approach accurately, then judge it from a Buddhist standpoint. Anchor the Buddhist side in named principles rather than a vague 'Buddhism says'. Useful anchors include the precepts (not killing, not taking what is not given, not misusing the senses, not speaking falsely, not clouding the mind), the brahmaviharas of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity, the emphasis on intention in kamma, and the Mahayana ideal of skilful means. Then take each listed approach in turn, explain its logic, and ask where Buddhist reasoning converges with it and where it strains against it.
deontological, with reference to Kant
This item tests whether you can identify Kant's deontological approach accurately and relate it to Buddhist ethics. Kant holds that the moral worth of an action lies in the maxim on which it is done, not in its consequences; the categorical imperative requires that you act only on a maxim you could will as a universal law, and treat humanity always as an end and never merely as a means. Duty, not outcome, is decisive. A Buddhist comparison turns on intention: Buddhism also weights intention heavily in kamma, which looks like a point of contact. But Buddhist ethics is teleological and soteriological, aimed at the cessation of suffering and liberation, and it permits flexible skilful means, which pulls against Kant's rigid universalism. A correct answer identifies the deontological structure and the specific Kantian test, then judges the fit with Buddhist reasoning.
teleological and consequential, with reference to Bentham
This item asks you to place Bentham's ethics within the dialogue between Buddhism and ethics. Bentham's utilitarianism is teleological because it judges an action by its outcome, the greatest happiness of the greatest number, rather than by the agent's intention or a fixed rule. It is consequential because only consequences count when assessing rightness. In the Buddhist dialogue, compare this with Buddhist ethics, which centres on intention, the precepts and the reduction of dukkha. A useful method is to take one action, identify its consequences for all affected, apply Bentham's hedonic calculus, then ask how a Buddhist assessment weighing intention and the precepts would differ. Note that Bentham's approach is not the same as Buddhist ethics even where both care about wellbeing.
character based, with reference to virtue ethics.
This item asks you to explain character-based ethics with reference to virtue ethics and to relate it to the Buddhist dialogue. Virtue ethics, associated with Aristotle, asks what kind of person one should be rather than what rule to follow or which outcome to maximise. It focuses on virtues such as courage, compassion and honesty, on character formation through habit, and on the mean between extremes. In the Buddhist dialogue, compare this with Buddhist cultivation of qualities such as metta (loving-kindness) and karuna (compassion) through practice. A useful method is to describe a virtuous agent facing a dilemma, identify the relevant virtues, and ask how character development shapes the response, then compare with a Buddhist account of cultivating wholesome states.
How far Buddhist ethics can be considered to be deontological, teleological, consequential, or character based.
This question asks you to weigh Buddhist ethics against four Western ethical categories and judge how far each fits. Deontological ethics judges acts by duty or rule, so precepts such as not killing can look rule-governed; yet Buddhist precepts are often treated as training principles applied with compassion rather than absolute commands. Teleological ethics aims at an end, and Buddhism clearly has a goal in nibbana and the reduction of dukkha. Consequential reasoning appears where an action's kammic fruit and its effects on suffering are weighed, for example in judging whether a misleading statement harms. Character-based ethics focuses on the agent's dispositions, and Buddhist cultivation of metta, karuna and mindfulness, plus the ideal of the compassionate Bodhisattva in Mahayana, fits virtue ethics closely.
Buddhist responses to: the issues of human life and death and issues of animal life and death prescribed for study; theft and lying; marriage; homosexuality and transgender issues; genetic engineering.
This topic requires you to know how Buddhists respond to a set of applied ethical issues. For human life and death and animal life and death, the prescribed study issues include abortion, euthanasia and the treatment of animals, all read through the first precept on not killing, the value of sentient life and the role of intention and compassion. For theft and lying, the second and fourth precepts guide responses, with attention to motivation and harm. Marriage is discussed through Buddhist views on relationships, commitment and the householder's life. Homosexuality and transgender issues require knowledge of diverse Buddhist attitudes, distinguishing traditional teaching from more liberal interpretations. Genetic engineering raises questions about interfering with life, intention and the relief of suffering.
Buddhist responses to issues surrounding wealth, tolerance and freedom of religious expression.
This topic asks how Buddhist teaching and practice bear on three linked ethical issues: wealth, tolerance and freedom of religious expression. On wealth, learners should connect the lay ethic of right livelihood and generous giving with the monastic ideal of contentment and non-attachment, and weigh the claim that moderate prosperity can support dāna against the warning that craving for gain fuels suffering. On tolerance, learners should examine Buddhist emphases on compassion, non-harm and the parable of the poisoned arrow, which treats speculative dispute as unhelpful, while noting that tolerance is not indifference to harmful conduct. On freedom of religious expression, learners should consider Buddhist support for open enquiry and the Kalama discourse's counsel to test teachings, alongside tensions where speech is judged harmful.
Buddhist understandings of free will and moral responsibility, and the value of conscience in Buddhist moral decision-making. The impact of other ethical perspectives and ethical studies on Buddhist views about these issues, both past and present. This may include challenges to and support for Buddhist views; compatibility of Buddhist views with those of other ethical perspectives; the relative strengths and weaknesses of Buddhist perspectives and the other ethical perspectives studied on these issues; the implications of criticisms of Buddhist ethical teaching for the religion as a whole and its sources of authority.
This essay topic requires sustained analysis of Buddhist accounts of free will, moral responsibility and conscience, then a dialogue with other ethical perspectives. Learners should explain how conditioned arising and kamma shape Buddhist thinking: actions have consequences and intentions matter, yet choices are conditioned rather than wholly uncaused. They should assess whether this leaves genuine moral responsibility, and how Buddhist reflection, mindfulness and the precepts function where other traditions speak of conscience. The dialogue element asks learners to bring other ethical perspectives and ethical studies into contact with Buddhist views, past and present, examining challenges and support, points of compatibility, relative strengths and weaknesses, and what criticisms imply for Buddhist teaching and its sources of authority.
Your focus
- Explain the logic of each listed approach to moral decision-making.
- Apply key Buddhist moral principles to each approach.
- Evaluate how far each approach is compatible with Buddhist ethics and justify a verdict.
Show all 24 objectives
- Identify the defining features of Kant's deontological ethics.
- Explain the categorical imperative and the role of the maxim.
- Compare Kantian duty ethics with Buddhist moral reasoning and judge their compatibility.
- Explain why Bentham's ethics is described as teleological and consequential.
- Apply the greatest happiness principle to a specific moral case.
- Compare Bentham's approach with Buddhist ethical assessment.
- Explain what makes virtue ethics character-based.
- Apply virtue ethics to a moral dilemma using named virtues.
- Compare virtue ethics with Buddhist cultivation of ethical qualities.
- Compare Buddhist ethics with deontological, teleological, consequential and character-based models.
- Support each comparison with textual or school-based evidence.
- Reach and justify a reasoned judgement on how far each category applies.
- Identify Buddhist responses to each prescribed applied ethical issue.
- Apply relevant precepts and teachings to specific issues.
- Distinguish traditional teaching from diverse Buddhist interpretations.
- Explain at least two Buddhist responses to issues surrounding wealth.
- Distinguish Buddhist approaches to tolerance from indifference to harmful conduct.
- Evaluate how Buddhist teaching on testing teachings bears on freedom of religious expression.
- Explain Buddhist understandings of free will, moral responsibility and the role of conscience in moral decision-making.
- Analyse the impact of other ethical perspectives on Buddhist views, identifying challenges, support and compatibility.
- Evaluate relative strengths and weaknesses and the implications of criticism for Buddhist teaching and its sources of authority.
2A Buddhism - Section B: The dialogue between Buddhism and ethics exam tips
Marking Points
- States the logic of each listed approach to moral decision-making accurately before evaluating it from a Buddhist standpoint.
- Applies named Buddhist principles such as the precepts, the brahmaviharas or the role of intention in kamma to the approach under discussion.
- Explains where a listed approach converges with Buddhist moral reasoning and where it strains against it.
- Weighs the strength of convergence against the strength of tension to reach a reasoned Buddhist verdict.
- Distinguishes between different Buddhist traditions or strands where they would respond differently to the same approach.
- Supports each evaluative claim with a specific feature of the approach or of Buddhist teaching rather than general assertion.
- Identifies that a deontological approach locates moral worth in duty or the nature of the act rather than in consequences.
- States Kant's categorical imperative, including the universal-law formulation or the humanity-as-ends formulation.
- Explains that Kant grounds morality in reason and the good will rather than in outcome or emotion.
- Compares Kant's focus on the maxim with the Buddhist weighting of intention (cetanā) in kamma.
- Assesses the tension between Kant's universalism and Buddhist skilful means or the soteriological aim of ending suffering.
- Reaches a judgement about how far Kantian deontology is compatible with Buddhist moral reasoning.
- Identifies Bentham's ethics as teleological because it evaluates actions by their ends or outcomes.
- Explains that Bentham's ethics is consequential because rightness depends on results, measured by the greatest happiness principle.
- Applies the hedonic calculus to a concrete action to show how consequences are weighed.
- Contrasts Bentham's outcome-based assessment with a Buddhist emphasis on intention and the precepts.
- Defines virtue ethics as character-based rather than act- or rule-based.
- Identifies specific virtues and explains how habit and practice form character.
- Applies virtue ethics to a moral dilemma by asking what a virtuous person would do.
- Compares character formation in virtue ethics with Buddhist cultivation of qualities such as compassion.
- Weighs the deontological reading against Buddhist precepts and explains why training principles applied with compassion qualify a strict rule-based interpretation.
- Explains the teleological dimension through the goal of nibbana and the reduction of dukkha, showing how purpose shapes Buddhist practice.
- Assesses consequential elements by linking kamma and the effects of action on suffering to moral decision-making.
- Develops the character-based reading through the cultivation of metta, karuna and mindfulness, and the Mahayana Bodhisattva ideal.
- Reaches a supported overall judgement about how far Buddhist ethics fits each category rather than merely listing them.
- Applies the first precept and the value of sentient life to the prescribed issues of human and animal life and death.
- Links the second and fourth precepts to Buddhist responses on theft and lying, attending to intention and harm.
- Explains Buddhist views on marriage through commitment, the householder's life and relationship ethics.
- Recognises diverse Buddhist attitudes to homosexuality and transgender issues, distinguishing traditional teaching from liberal interpretation.
- Connects genetic engineering to questions of intention, interference with life and the relief of suffering.
- Identifies Buddhist teaching on wealth, such as right livelihood and generous giving, and explains how it shapes a lay Buddhist's attitude to earning and using money.
- Explains the monastic emphasis on non-attachment and contentment as a distinct Buddhist response to wealth rather than treating all Buddhists as holding one view.
- Connects Buddhist compassion and non-harm to a reasoned position on tolerance of differing beliefs and practices.
- Uses the parable of the poisoned arrow to explain why some Buddhists treat speculative dispute as a distraction from addressing suffering.
- Explains how Buddhist encouragement to test teachings supports freedom of religious expression while distinguishing this from a licence to cause harm.
- Weighs strengths and weaknesses of at least one Buddhist response, for example noting that non-attachment may be criticised as discouraging enterprise.
- Explains how conditioned arising and kamma shape Buddhist understandings of free will and moral responsibility.
- Assesses whether Buddhist conditioning of choices is compatible with holding persons morally responsible for their intentions and actions.
- Explains the role of mindfulness, reflection and the precepts in Buddhist moral decision-making where other traditions speak of conscience.
- Brings a named other ethical perspective into dialogue with Buddhist views, identifying a specific challenge or point of support.
- Evaluates the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Buddhist perspective and the other ethical perspective on free will or conscience.
- Considers what criticisms of Buddhist ethical teaching imply for the religion as a whole and for its sources of authority.
- Reaches a justified overall judgement that weighs the dialogue rather than merely listing Buddhist and other views.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Open each paragraph by naming the approach, then the Buddhist principle you will test it against, so the dialogue is visible from the first sentence.
- 💡Use precise Buddhist vocabulary (kamma, intention, skilful means, precepts) and gloss each term briefly so the examiner sees understanding, not just labels.
- 💡Reserve time to write a short conclusion that states which approach sits most and least comfortably with Buddhist ethics and why.
- 💡When you cite a Buddhist text or teaching, attribute it to its tradition and avoid inventing quotations you cannot source.
- 💡Learn both formulations of the categorical imperative and be ready to state which one you are applying.
- 💡Use the term 'maxim' precisely: it is the principle on which you act, not the act itself.
- 💡When comparing with Buddhism, name the specific principle (intention in kamma, skilful means, the goal of ending suffering) rather than gesturing at 'similar ideas'.
- 💡Keep the comparison two-sided: say what Kant would reject in Buddhist flexibility as well as what he would endorse.
- 💡Define teleological and consequential precisely before applying them to Bentham.
- 💡Use a short worked example of the hedonic calculus rather than describing it abstractly.
- 💡Make the Buddhist comparison explicit rather than leaving it implied.
- 💡State clearly that virtue ethics asks about the kind of person one should be.
- 💡Use a named virtue and show how it guides a decision in a concrete case.
- 💡Draw the Buddhist parallel with a specific quality such as metta rather than a vague reference.
- 💡Define each of the four categories briefly before applying it, so your comparisons are precise.
- 💡Anchor each reading in specific Buddhist teaching or a named school rather than general assertion.
- 💡Reserve space for an explicit judgement that answers 'how far' rather than ending with description.
- 💡Match each option to the specific issue named in the question before choosing.
- 💡Check whether an option reflects a recognised Buddhist teaching rather than a general ethical slogan.
- 💡Watch for options that overstate uniformity across Buddhist traditions.
- 💡Anchor each option or judgement in a named Buddhist concept such as right livelihood, dāna, compassion or non-attachment rather than general opinion.
- 💡Check whether a statement describes a Buddhist view, a criticism of it, or a different ethical perspective before selecting it.
- 💡Where two options seem plausible, ask which one distinguishes lay from monastic practice or which one acknowledges internal Buddhist diversity.
- 💡State the Buddhist position precisely before introducing an other ethical perspective, so the dialogue has two identifiable sides.
- 💡Use evaluative language that signals weighing, such as 'this is a stronger challenge because', rather than describing views in sequence.
- 💡Reserve time to address the implications of criticism for Buddhist teaching and authority, since this is a distinct requirement of the statement.
Common Mistakes
- Describes the listed approach only loosely and then evaluates a caricature; state its actual decision procedure before judging it.
- Treats 'Buddhism' as a single undifferentiated voice; distinguish Theravada and Mahayana emphases where they matter.
- Lists Buddhist principles without connecting them to the specific approach; tie each principle to the decision procedure under review.
- Reaches a verdict without weighing the counter-case; show why the convergence or the tension is the stronger consideration.
- Labels Kant a consequentialist; correct this by stressing that duty and the maxim, not results, determine moral worth.
- Reduces the categorical imperative to 'do no harm'; state the universal-law or humanity-as-ends formulation accurately.
- Assumes Buddhism and Kant agree fully because both mention intention; note that Buddhist intention serves liberation and permits flexible means.
- Treats deontology as simply 'following rules'; explain that the rule must pass the categorical-imperative test of universalisability.
- Treats Bentham's ethics as rule-based rather than outcome-based; correct this by stressing that consequences determine rightness.
- Confuses teleological with deontological; correct this by defining teleological as goal- or end-directed.
- Assumes Buddhist ethics and Bentham's utilitarianism are identical because both value wellbeing; correct this by noting the different roles of intention and consequence.
- Treats virtue ethics as a set of rules for actions; correct this by stressing the focus on the agent's character.
- Lists virtues without explaining how they are developed; correct this by describing formation through habit and practice.
- Ignores the Buddhist comparison; correct this by linking virtue cultivation to Buddhist practice explicitly.
- Treats the five precepts as absolute commands without discussing their training and compassionate application; qualify the deontological reading.
- Ignores the role of intention and kamma when discussing consequences; explain how intention and effect together shape Buddhist moral judgement.
- Lists the four categories without comparing them or reaching a judgement; weigh the categories against evidence and conclude.
- Assumes all Buddhists hold one uniform view on every issue; distinguish traditional teaching from liberal interpretations.
- Applies a precept without explaining its reasoning about intention and harm; show how the precept grounds the response.
- Confuses the issues, for example treating animal life and death as identical to human life and death; note the distinct prescribed issues.
- Treats Buddhism as a single uniform voice on wealth; distinguish lay ethics of right livelihood and giving from monastic non-attachment.
- Equates tolerance with complete indifference to conduct; explain that Buddhist non-harm still permits concern about harmful action.
- Assumes freedom of expression is simply endorsed without tension; discuss how Buddhist concern about harmful speech qualifies the position.
- Describes the poisoned arrow parable as a rule about money; keep it as a teaching about the unhelpfulness of speculative dispute.
- Presents Buddhist free will as either total determinism or complete libertarian freedom; explain the conditioned middle position and its implications for responsibility.
- Treats conscience as a direct Buddhist equivalent; explain how mindfulness, reflection and the precepts perform a comparable function without assuming identity.
- Lists other ethical perspectives without dialogue; connect each named perspective to a specific Buddhist claim it challenges or supports.
- Ignores the implications of criticism for Buddhist authority; address what challenges mean for the religion and its sources of authority.