Prize winning essay explores modern moral issues

We were delighted to hear recently that another of our Sixth Form students has achieved recognition in a national essay competition.

Itsoghena Oyedeji (L6LES) has been highly commended for an essay she entered into a competition organised by New College of the Humanities. Itsie, who is part of our new Head of School team, entered the philosophy category, answering the question: “Should Robots have Rights?”

Although this isn’t a topic she had previously given much thought to, Itsie has a strong interest in human rights and it was something she wanted to explore further.

She said: “I felt that by answering – or attempting to answer – this question, I would gain more insight into the fundamentals of Human Rights.”

Itsie began her research on Google but also used JSTOR, a tool provided by King’s to give students access to journals and articles that usually sit behind a paywall.

She told us: “At first, I had way too many resources but eventually narrowed it down. The whole process taught me a lot about research and successful competitive essay writing.”

By exploring a number of concepts, including moral agency and moral patiency, Itsie concluded that robots should have rights. You can read the full essay here.

Unfortunately, the New College of Humanities isn’t able to hold its usual awards ceremony this summer but Itsie can look forward to a special event that is planned to go ahead in the autumn. 

Well done Itsie!