Department of Philosophy

Indiana University Bloomington's Ethics Bowl team achieved first place at the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl held November 13, 2021. Congratulations to our Ethics Bowl team members: Josh Bogner, Michael Clark, Carter Hanefeld, Summer Myers, Abby Swift, Ava Truman, and Summer Voorhies! We extend a special thanks to the team’s coach, Elizabeth Williams, a graduate student in the Philosophy department, for their work and dedication to help this year’s team prepare for the competition.

Williams had warm words for their Ethics Bowl students and the work they've done this year. “I have been very impressed with my students’ abilities to respond quickly on their feet, develop nuanced philosophical positions, and work cohesively as a team," they said. "Multiple times throughout the semester they surprised me with interesting philosophical positions and answers that I had not considered.”

The team developed ethical positions on a variety of cases, including Critical Race Theory, Cities' Obligation to the Houseless, and Ransomware Attacks. “To prepare, we considered the reasoning that would loom large in the minds of those who would oppose our views,” said Williams. “We also practiced giving each other constructive philosophical critiques and questions to further the depth of our discussions.” 

The Ethics Bowl format encourages philosophical discussion rather than the debate style traditionally practiced in high school civics courses. Teams can develop any position they wish in answer to the question provided about a case. Additionally, the “opposing” team can agree with another team’s view and focus their response on asking the team to build upon their position or address potential objections. “The main point of Ethics Bowl is to have an in-depth, collaborative conversation about moral issues,” explained Williams.

The National APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 26-27, 2022.

Ava: “Ethics Bowl is a great opportunity to improve argumentative and public speaking skills. I enjoyed learning about the different cases presented and ways to justify a certain position.”

Carter: “One thing about Ethics Bowl that I thoroughly enjoy is the focus on argumentation. Coming from debate, it always felt like a contest between which side had more/better evidence, and the actual logical connections fell by the wayside. Here, it’s the most important part. Ethics Bowl teaches you to make logical arguments, and that’s helped both my public speaking and my reasoning skills overall.”   

 Josh: “I thoroughly enjoyed competing at the Ethics Bowl this past weekend. It was rewarding to see all the hard work we put into preparing for the competition paying off. As a Philosophy minor, it was interesting to see the concepts that have been discussed in class applied in real-world situations. Additionally, it was fun to get to know everyone on the team. By the end of the weekend, we had gone from just a group of individuals to an actual team. Whether or not you are involved with Philosophy, I would recommend the Ethics Bowl to anyone.”

Michael: “I found that doing the Ethics Bowl was valuable in that it taught me to look at problems in a more insightful way. What I enjoyed about it was getting to meet new people with interests similar to mine and our team’s dynamic.”

Summer M.: “Ethics Bowl has definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone, but I’ve really enjoyed learning about ethics by applying the concepts and ideas in real world cases! It’s been so much fun to meet new people and an overall a great experience for me!”

Summer V.: “I’ve enjoyed the respectful debate and the skills I have learned through problem solving and public speaking. It’s been a wonderful experience in learning about current issues and how to understand them within ethical ideologies.”

Learn more about the APPE Ethics Bowl