The UW Center for Philosophy for Children hosted the 2017 Washington State High School Ethics Bowl held on February 4, 2017, at the University of Washington School of Law. The Ethics Bowl is a collaborative yet competitive event in which teams analyze a series of wide-ranging ethical dilemmas. Over 100 high school students and teachers and 40 judges, lawyers, UW faculty and other educators participated.
Unlike debate, Ethics Bowls do not involve teams forced to take adversarial positions or hold fast to assigned perspectives. Instead, students have a forum in which to engage in dialogue, and they are judged on the quality of their analysis – how well they reason through the issues, organize and present arguments, analyze a case’s morally relevant features, and respond to commentary and questions – and the degree to which they engage in a thoughtful, civil exchange.
Awards went to the following schools:
First place: Seattle Academy
Second place: Chief Sealth High School Team 1
Third place: Chief Sealth High School Team 2
Award for Civil Dialogue: Rainier Beach High School Teams 1 and 2
Seattle Academy went to the National High School Ethics Bowl in April at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where the team made it to the quarter finals round.
The four trophy-winning teams also participated in a “Day in Olympia” in March, which included a private tour of the Washington State Supreme Court (and attendance at an oral argument session), a meeting with the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor, a tour of the Capitol Building, and a lunch reception with the Supreme Court justices. It was a wonderful and inspiring day!