Depth 1 · 34 s

The sleeping photo

Name: The sleeping photo
Uploaded: 2026-11-03T07:56:02.670785Z
Duration: 34 s
Description: Kofi photographs his friend Dan asleep in class and wants to send it to the class group. "It's only a joke." Harm is one of the clearest reasons in ethics - and asking first can turn the same act from harmful to fine.

Kofi photographs his friend Dan asleep in class and wants to send it to the class group. "It's only a joke." Harm is one of the clearest reasons in ethics - and asking first can turn the same act from harmful to fine.

About this video

In class, Kofi's friend Dan falls asleep with his mouth open. Kofi takes a photo on his phone. It is very funny, and Kofi wants to send it to the class group. "It's only a joke," he says. Is it?

To harm someone is to make things worse for them: to hurt their body, their feelings, their things, or what others think of them. A broken arm is harm; so is being laughed at by thirty people, or being left out on purpose. Of all the reasons in ethics, harm is one of the clearest. People who disagree about promises, white lies and fair shares nearly all agree that causing harm needs a strong reason, and "because it was funny" is not one. So the question for Kofi is not "is the photo funny?" but "would it harm Dan?" Dan might be laughed at for weeks, and a photo sent to a group can be copied and kept long after the joke is forgotten.

The very same photo could be fine. Suppose Kofi wakes Dan and shows him, and Dan laughs and says "Send it, it's hilarious!" Now nothing is done to Dan against his will. Agreeing to something that affects you, freely and knowing what it is, is called consent, and consent changes a great deal: a tackle in a game of football both chose to play is not a push in the corridor. But consent has to be real. A yes given because everyone is watching, or without knowing what will happen, or from someone too young to understand, isn't a free and knowing yes. And a no is an answer too: if Dan says no, the question is settled. Harm is easiest to cause when you can't see it, so ask: who could this hurt, and did they agree? This video goes with the Do No Harm lesson of Ethics Level 1 on Knaph.

This video shows depth 1 of Harm and consent.

Learn Harm and consent

Transcript

0:00Dan falls asleep in class. Kofi takes a photo. It's only a joke.
0:05He wants to send it to the class group. Thirty people.
0:11Harm is making things worse for someone. It needs a strong reason.
0:17But suppose Kofi asks first, and Dan laughs. Send it! That's consent.
0:23A yes must be free and knowing. And a no settles it.
0:29Who could this hurt, and did they agree?