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An Ethics Bowl is a collaborative yet competitive event in which teams analyze a series of wide-ranging ethical dilemmas. Responses are judged according to the quality of a team’s reasoning and how well team members:

  • organize and present their case
  • attend to and analyze the morally relevant features of the case
  • anticipate and preemptively respond to commentary and questions

An exciting tournament, an ethics bowl is a great way for students to deepen their understanding and appreciation of interesting ethical and social issues. Read about the team’s participation in past ethics bowls.

As part of the Puget Sound Ethics Bowl team, students get a chance to:

  • Represent the university at various public Ethics Bowl Competitions attended by professionals in government, health, technology, business, and education. 
  • Learn about ethical theories and their application to concrete and timely issues.
  • Develop invaluable skills including philosophical reasoning, effective oral argumentation, considering alternative points of view, thinking about difficult but timely and important issues, and working effectively in a small team.
  • Have great conversations and discussions with other students, both at Puget Sound during the semester and at the events. 
  • Earn 0.25 units of activity credit per semester by registering for Phil 499 during Fall and/or Spring.

In connection with the Puget Sound Access Programs, members of the Puget Sound Ethics Bowl team have been involved in coaching high school ethics bowl teams from Tacoma Public Schools.

In connection with FEPPS, the Puget Sound Ethics Bowl team participated in the first ethics bowl team at the Washington Correction Center for Women in April 2019.  Read about the event here.

If interested, please contact professor Ariela Tubert in the Philosophy Department (atubert@pugetsound.edu).