On January 27, UT Martin successfully hosted the fifth annual West Tennessee High School Ethics Bowl. Over 20 students from Dresden High School, Union City High School and Westview High School competed and debated ethical questions relevant to the modern world, with two teams for each high school. After a 10-hour competition, Westview Team “B” placed first after an impeccable presentation of reasoning, rhetorical and defensive skills.
Students arrived at the Holt Humanities Building auditorium at 7:30 a.m. and would remain until 5:30 p.m. A total of five rounds, including the semifinals and final rounds, were held and lasted approximately an hour each. The competition was structured like a formal debate, with time allotted for teams to prepare answers upon being presented the topic question, around three to five minutes to present their arguments and a time for the other team to attempt to point out the flaws in their opponents’ reasoning. The end of every round allowed judges to ask questions pertaining to the arguments before analyzing and scoring each team’s logic and performance.
The event was directed by Dr. Christopher Brown, professor of philosophy at UTM. Brown has taught at UT Martin for 22 years, and this is the third year he has directed the Ethics Bowl. When asked what he believed the value of a tournament such as the Ethics Bowl held, he responded with: “Ethics Bowl is an activity that allows students to think about real life ethical problems, and practice reasoning with others to find the best way to respond to these problems. Unlike debate, which is by its nature adversarial, ethics bowl encourages competing teams to help each other strengthen their own arguments for their respective positions.”
“I like to see the students engage with others about morally significant topics, all the while improvising their speech, and speaking with kindness to their opponents,” says Brown.
Faith Pilkington, senior philosophy and political science major, University Scholar and president of the Student Government Association, worked with Dr. Brown as the student intern for the Ethics Bowl to ensure the competition ran smoothly throughout the day. This was Pilkington’s first year as a student intern for the Ethics Bowl and has been a moderator for this event the previous two years. Regarding what the Ethics Bowl contributes to the town of Martin and the university, Pilkington stated “[Ethics Bowl] creates a space to hold a civil discussion regarding relevant ethical issues that face our society. It allows for an environment where ideas can be openly expressed and [it] harnesses critical thinking about moral reasoning and problem-solving.”
Brown and Pilkington together “analyzed the available Ethics Bowl cases and determined intellectually stimulating moral questions” and also ran training sessions for incoming volunteers. Pilkington also recruited the teams and volunteers who participated, designed the event’s “program, t-shirts, [website],” and logistics. Pilkington’s and Brown’s joint efforts guaranteed an enjoyable and rewarding day for competing students.
Brown wished to express gratitude and thanks to the Department of History and Philosophy as well as the Honors Program for the funding provided to run this event as well as the volunteers, students and professors, who helped run the competition. Those who are interested in observing the 2025 Ethics Bowl or volunteering for it are highly encouraged to do so. “[The Ethics Bowl],” Pilkington says, “is a great way to learn more about moral dilemmas that take place in everyday life and how to develop one’s own ethical position or solution.”
Those who are interested in volunteering next year should contact Dr. Christopher Brown at cbrown43@utm.edu.
