Ethics Bowl

What is Ethics Bowl? 

The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl® is an intercollegiate case study competition focused on tackling complex moral dilemmas. Teams of six undergraduates present arguments on a wide range of topics, from the ethical constraints of protest to the design of content moderation policies on social media platforms. 

Unlike traditional debate, where teams are assigned a side to argue, Ethics Bowl presents students with a 1-2 page case study of an ethical dilemma and asks them to develop a sincere position in response to an open-ended question. Some questions teams may be asked include: When, if ever, should parents be held legally responsible for the actions of their children? Should doctors be able to abstain from administering medical procedures they are morally opposed to?

Each round unfolds in three distinct phases, designed to foster deliberation about tough ethical tensions:

1. Initial Presentation: Students have ten minutes to present a nuanced answer to the question and address counterarguments.
2. Commentary and Response: The opposing team has 5 minutes to present commentary on the initial presentation. Opposing teams do not have to disagree; they may reach the same substantive conclusion through different justifications. The primary goal is to help the initial team strengthen their position by providing constructive objections, alternative perspectives, or refinements to the argument. The presenting team then has 5 minutes to respond.
3. Judge’s Q&A: A panel of judges has 10 minutes to directly question the presenting team, encouraging students to think on their feet and defend or revise their arguments.

For a link to the judge’s score sheet, click here.

How does Ethics Bowl promote civil dialogue?

In Ethics Bowl, respect for disagreement is built into the activity itself.

1. Respect for Persons: Controversial moral dilemmas rarely generate full agreement on their resolution.  As such, the competition format requires serious engagement with opposing points of view and encourages students who disagree to voice their perspectives and incorporate them into the team’s presentation.  By rewarding the inclusion of disagreement, the format models respect for persons and affirms a commitment to pluralism. 
2. Intellectual Humility: Ethics Bowl cases present multifaceted dilemmas with competing values and stakeholders. Students are encouraged to acknowledge that the answer to these questions may be more complex than “yes” or “no” and that their understanding can be strengthened when engaging with alternative perspectives.  Ethics Bowl therefore fosters intellectual humility—the ability to test and recognize the limits of one’s own understanding. 
3. Moral Courage: Because teams are not assigned a side, the goal of the competition shifts from winning every argument regardless of what one’s beliefs are to engaging with difficult questions honestly.  This enables students to explore their sincerely held moral intuitions and build the courage to share them with others.

Bioethics Bowl 

For students who are particularly interested in biomedicine and ethics, we also offer a Bioethics Fellowship, which includes participation in the Bioethics Bowl, a national debate competition in mid-April involving 15 relevant case studies. Learn more about the Bioethics Fellowship.