Ethics Untangled 50. What can comics such as Heartstopper teach us about ethics? With Simon Meisch
Dec 1, 2025
Simon Meisch, a Senior Lecturer in interdisciplinary ethics at the University of Tübingen, explores how comics can teach complex ethical issues. He highlights the effectiveness of serial narratives, like 'Heartstopper', in engaging diverse students. Meisch discusses how these stories address romantic identity and relationships, providing low-threshold entry points for ethical discussions. He emphasizes the importance of visual storytelling in fostering moral engagement and critically examines themes like consent and forgiveness while noting the need for deeper cultural analysis.
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Use Low-Threshold Materials For Diverse Students
- Do avoid assigning long philosophical texts to heterogeneous non-philosophy students who lack humanities skills.
- Use accessible, low-threshold materials and activities instead to engage diverse cohorts in ethical discussion.
Narratives Shape Ethical Understanding
- Narratives structure ethical problems and shape how people perceive moral issues in real contexts.
- Ethicists already use narratives (cases, dilemmas) to reveal ethical content and stakeholder perspectives.
Pick Familiar Serial Narratives
- Do choose serial narratives students already know (TV, comics) to ensure quick access and engagement.
- Leverage cliffhangers and episodic suspense to probe changing moral intuitions across episodes.
