The Philosopher and the Assassin: use in H.E.

Philosophy/Ethics

Classroom activities/assessment questions

• Apply utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics to three pivotal scenes. How often do the various ethical theories converge upon the same answer? Compare conclusions; discuss the limits of each framework in practice.
• The novel raises questions about how the conclusions of ethical theories change if we apply a longer time frame that includes future generations or extend rights to animals. What challenges do emerging biocentric, ecocentric and future-generational perspectives present to the ethical theories presented in this book?

• Assign chapters where the protagonist debates the dilemma with her students.
  • Divide students into groups; each applies a different ethical framework (utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, care ethics) to the same dilemma.
  • Groups present their reasoning and identify what each framework prioritises or ignores.

• Discussion prompts:
  • Which framework offers the most “just” solution?
  • What blind spots emerge when applying theory to practice?
  • How do these frameworks align with SDG principles of justice and inclusion?

Politics

Classroom activities/assessment questions

• Map the institutional failures that underlie the dilemma posed in the story.
• Evaluate the constitutional adaptations proposed in the story.
• Draft an anticipatory governance plan for future citizens’ assemblies (avoidance of capture by vested interests, risk registers, whistleblowing protections, strategies by which recommendations are translated into policy).
• Produce a 2-page memo evaluating alternative institutional responses to enable more ethical decision-making that addresses long-term societal needs.
• Justify trade-offs.
• Identify interests, power, and values among:
  • assembly participants
  • university staff and students
• Which voices are under-represented?

Business governance and business ethics

Classroom activities/assessment questions

• How does the novel portray business in terms of its ability to deliver on sustainability goals? Are the critiques justified?
• With respect to the two of the climate policies proposed in the citizens’ assembly on climate in the book – sharing economy and personal carbon trading – what would these mean for business? How might their business models and investment decisions change in the light of such policies?
• Choose a current business practice that has ethical implications and apply the ethical theories outlined in the book to the practice (for example, sweat shop labour, planned obsolescence, marketing strategies that promote high-carbon consumption, investing in fossil fuels). Do they all agree?
  • Assign groups who each choose a theory e.g. Rawls, Theory of Justice, Kant’s moral duty, Utilitarianism, Virtue Theory, Ubuntu) and see if they agree on the ethical course of action.
• The protagonist questions whether the legal form of publicly owned corporations designed to maximise shareholder value is fit for purpose. With respect to current challenges of climate change, inequality and misinformation, do you agree? What alternative business forms are available?
• The citizens’ assembly outlined in the book is comprised of participants chosen to represent all sectors of society and makes decisions based on a deliberative process. How does this compare to a Board of Directors?  Some companies (e.g. Faith in Nature) have ‘nature’ on their board and countries such as Germany have worker representatives on the board. What would a truly multi-stakeholder board of directors look like? How would that affect business decision making?

Creative writing/Literature

Classroom activities/assessment questions

• Focus: narrative structure, unreliable narration, symbolism of the assembly format.
• Interpret narrative as a site of ethical inquiry; analyse voice, form, symbolism, genre tropes.
• What does this novel say about the distinction between tropes and genre?  The novel utilises various tropes of campus novels, for example idiosyncratic academics, unconventional teaching methods, and the public lecture that goes wrong. It also gently satirises the key tropes of whodunnits, such as the climax where the suspects gather and the killer is unmasked. Yet the innovative structure whereby campus scenes are interwoven with philosophy lectures and the whodunnit place it within the genre of literary fiction.
• Task: Rewrite a scene from a marginalised participant’s perspective.
• Analyse how fiction can shift cultural imaginaries and ethical discourse compared with policy texts.

SDG	Novel Themes	Teaching Applications
SDG 16 Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions	Citizens’ assembly design, accountability, procedural justice	Role-playing participative approaches to decision-making. Stakeholder mapping
SDG 13 Climate Action	Climate deliberation, societal response to risk and urgency, climate policies	Long-term thinking, implications of concern for future generations for current individual, business and political practice.
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption & Production	Trade-offs between individual freedom and societal interests.	Application of ethical theories to current practice.

You can find out more here: The Philosopher and the Assassin – D A Baden.

Details for ordering by University Libraries:

ISBN paperback:978-1-7390889-9-6

ISBN eBook: 978-1-0682703-0-7

Pages: 352 pages

Size: 5.5 x 8.5 inch

Publication date 1st October 2025.