Category: Annoucements

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Ethics Bowl to the Rescue Officially LIVE

After five years, Ethics Bowl to the Rescue! Saving Democracy by Transforming Debate, is finally live (went live yesterday, September 15th, which happens to be International Democracy Day). Whew! That feels nice to say. Finally. The paperback is on Amazon, and it’ll release in hardcover and on Kindle by mid-October.

A huge thank you to the DOZENS of volunteers who submitted interview question answers, and my five devoted and generous beta readers: Michael Andersen, Lisa Deaton, Pat Hart, Richard Lesicko, J. Overton, and Court Lewis. It’s so much better thanks to your careful reads and improvement suggestions.

Also thanks to artist Niezam for the awesome SuperSocrates character illustration and cover. He’s currently working on the graphic novel for the latest movie versions of Dune – so glad to see your talents being appreciated, new and bigger doors opening. Not that this book cover wasn’t as huge of a deal as Dune 🙂

Ok, time to order a batch of author copies and confirm addresses. If you’re in the book and I have your address already, one will be coming your way around the end of the month. If you submitted interview question answers (which means I almost certainly found a way to include you in the book) and I haven’t asked for your address, feel free to go ahead and send it to me. And even if you’re not in the book, if you’re up for writing an honest review, just email me at matt (at) mattdeaton.com and I’ll hook you up as well.

Cheers! It feels great to finally be able to share the awesomeness of Ethics Bowl with the world. Ethics Bowl isn’t a quick fix. But it will most certainly help, and at a time the world seemingly needs thoughtfulness, civility, and mutual respect more than ever.

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Free Ethics Bowl Summer Workshop July 25-26

One week from tomorrow, there’s a free online Ethics Bowl workshop for new and experienced coaches, team members and organizers at the collegiate and high school levels. Often, events like this are either college or high school. I’m so glad to see the cross-tier collaboration.

Attendees can follow one of three discussion tracks: Ethics Bowl in the Classroom, Producing the Ethics Bowl or Engaging the World. If you’re busy during the day Friday and Saturday morning, no sweat. Friday the 25th is simply a pre-workshop “ABCs of Ethics Bowl” session from 4-5. Then Saturday the 26th the fun will run from 11:30-6:30 Eastern.

Hosted by our friends at the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl, sponsored by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, I’m signed up and very much looking forward. Only problem: can’t decide whether to follow the In the Classroom or Engaging the World track… Hope to see you there!

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Honoring Another Successful Michigan HSEB

Organizer extraordinaire, Jeanine DeLay, recently shared news of yet another successful Michigan High School Ethics Bowl, hosted by A2Ethics and the University of Michigan Philosophy Department. Here’s an abridged report from Jeanine, followed by celebratory pictures.

[MHSEB #12 was] a philosofest of energy, thoughtfulness and ardent discussion with 22 teams from 14 schools, including 2 new schools: Hamtramck HS (Cosmic Conscience) and Detroit Country Day School (“Kant Even” and “Golden Rulers”).  Among other memorable team names: Washtenaw International High School’s “We Mill Locke You”; “The Golden Mean Machines” from the Academy of the Sacred Heart; Ann Arbor Skyline’s “Plato’s Cavemen.”  

We had a Red Carpet entrance for each team accompanied by their team songs. Since this was the “Year of the Volunteers,” we took several photos of judges, philosopher coaches from A2Ethics’ 12 years strong campus community partnership with University of Michigan Philosophy, teacher advisor/coaches and volunteers.

The special word of the year was definitely…honor. We were honored to have seven former Michigan Bowlers serve as moderators in 2025. And we were also thrilled to debut our not-for-real and just-for-fun moderator fashion collection to honor their contributions. We were honored to host nine first-time judges – all undergraduate philosophy students and their resourceful professors (Julia Smith and Griffin Klemick) from Hope College. The gift to Bowlers were honor cords to be worn at their graduation and academic honors ceremonies held at their schools. The colors were Maize and Blue for the University of Michigan and “Honolulu Blue” which is A2Ethics’ color…and the Detroit Lions’ color too. 🙂 Indeed, another year, another honor. 

2025 UM graduate student Bowl coordinators: AG McGee, Kiara Gilbert and Lindy Ortiz
From every Ethics Bowler’s favorite illustrator, the talented Dusty Upton
The Hope College 2025 Bowl judges (photo credit Melanie Reyes)
Credit illustrator Dusty Upton
Professor Jim Spence, Philosophy and Religion, Adrian College, judge for all 12 Michigan Bowls
MC and Hallmark Event Planner, Jeanine DeLay (photo credit Melanie Reyes)

Congrats, Michiganders! Leading the way with style and fun, per usual. And thanks so much for my own MHSEB honor cord! Proudly displayed in my home office – much appreciation and admiration from EthicsBowl.org headquarters in Tennessee :-)

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Reason & Rationality Summer Program

Reason & Rationality program coordinator, dean of academics and co-founder, Peter Bach-y-Rita, recently reached out to share a selective summer program pitched as “Critical Thinking through Convivial Conversation.” I had to look it up, but convivial means friendly, lively, and enjoyable. Sounds like a great way for Ethics Bowlers to spend a few weeks this summer, right? Here’s a blurb from Peter:

“Reason & Rationality Summer Program at Princeton and Swarthmore empowers high school students to think rigorously about complex questions, distinguish factual belief from ideology, and engage in civil, convivial exchange. The two-week summer immersive program is led by instructors from Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and other top universities, with an intimate 1:5 instructor to student ratio. Students boost their critical thinking ability as they discuss and debate 20 Big Ideas in philosophy, politics and economics in a setting that is simultaneously rigorous and joyful.”

It’s pricey, but partial scholarships are available. To learn more, check out the intro video and visit www.reasonandrationality.com.

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Fall 2024 TKEthics Olympiad Results

Here’s a message from Archie Stapleton, co-founder of the Modus Ponens Institute and organizer of the TKEthics Olympiad, congratulating recent winners and announcing several cool spring events. Congrats to all who participated and kudos to MPI for growing in these exciting new directions!

Dear Ethletes and coaches from the TKEthics 2024 Fall Olympiad, 

We want to start by congratulating all of you for participating in an incredible day of ethical discussion! We have heard really positive feedback from judges and spectators about the quality of your argumentation and engagement. You all demonstrated real commitment to ethical discourse, and tackled the problems of AI and technology in an incredibly nuanced and mature way. You can all be extremely proud. 

Here are the results: 

In the Open Division: The Gold Medal is awarded to Pythagoras (Eric Zhang, Michael Xu, Ethni Cajigas, Chase Chong, Stephanie Lee), The Silver Medal is awarded to Diogenes (Middle School team), (Eleanor Kleman, Mia Santos, Dahlia Rodgers, Reya Krishnan, Emilia Henry), The Bronze Medal is awarded to Parfit, (Qinrong (Anny) Qian, Anthony Gong, Eirena Wen, Zhiyuan (Jerry) Jiang). Following closely behind in fourth place was: Hobbes (Chengyin Du, Jingxuan (Jenelle) Zhang, Mutong Zhong, Huahui Chen), and in fifth was Locke (middle school team) (Ruilin Liang, James Loke, Darren Han, Haoxian (Ethan) Wang). 

In the Middle School Division, excluding Diogenes who attained Silver in the open category: Gold Medal is awarded to Locke (Ruilin, James, Darren, Ethan), The Silver Medal is awarded to Socrates (Isaac Zhang, Nina He, Jeason Zhou, Steven Wu, Eason Wei), The Bronze Medal is awarded to Leibniz (Moxi Zhu, Laura Zhang, William Tao). Following closely behind in fourth place was Hume (Jeffery Lian, Zachary J Liu, Kingston Wang, Mia Zhang, Vicky Fei). 

Top International Team team: Aristotle (Olivia Yu, Yishan Gao (Noelle), Winston Ge). 

Finally, we allow judges to submit an “honorable mention” for any team they were particularly impressed by in any given round! These teams received Honorable Mentions throughout the day: Plato (“Xing (Elsa) Gao, Ziyue (Abby) Zhou, Liqian (Eric) Yan, James Chen), Hegel (Derek Hu, Austin Lu, Liam Kim), Hobbes (listed above), Parfit (listed above) and Russel (Angela Yang, Jordan He, Alpha Dong, Angel Shaji, Mushel Khan). 

Congratulations to all teams! Certificates will be sent out to each team within the next week. 

We are also excited to announce that we will host an in person conference on the West Coast of the US for any team mentioned in the above announcements in August 2025, stay tuned! 

If you missed out this time, don’t fret! Another opportunity is around the corner: 

Our next tournament is the spring TKEthics Olympiad on Sunday, March 1st, and is now open for registration! This will also allow you to qualify for our in person conference. 

After that is the Pan American Ethics Olympiad! This is the program with an Eastern Round on Saturday, April 26th at 9am EST, a Western Round on Saturday, May 3rd at 9am PST, and the

Pan Am Final on Saturday, May 17th, 2025 also at 9am PST. Register here. The winners of this event will be eligible for the International Ethics Olympiad Final held in July (10am East Coast Australia time), with hundreds of teams from all over the world. 

Kind regards, 

The MPI and TKEthics Olympiad Organizing Committee

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Global Ethics Olympiad Call for Judges and Teams

We’re behind schedule on a new NHSEB case pool analysis or two. But first, friend Archie Stapleton, co-founder and director of the Modus Ponens Institute, recently shared the below call for qualified judges and student competitors for the upcoming 2024 Global Ethics Olympiad. Open to all students anywhere in the world grades 6-12, check it out and email panamethics@modusponensinstitute.com with questions.

We are excited to invite you to the Fall TKEthics Global Olympiad on November 30, 2024, hosted by the Modus Ponens Institute. This virtual event, running from 6 PM to 11:30 PM EST, brings together students from grades 6-12 to discuss real-world ethical challenges.

This year’s Olympiad features 8 cases, with half focusing on the ethical implications of technology and artificial intelligence. These timely topics will challenge students to explore pressing questions on the role of AI in society—from privacy concerns to the future of AI-human relationships. The Olympiad provides a platform for students to showcase their ethical reasoning and public speaking skills, engaging in respectful, solution-driven discussions.

We Need Qualified Judges
We are seeking qualified judges with a background in philosophy, ethics, or related fields to help evaluate the students’ performances. If you have experience in ethical discourse and would like to contribute, we encourage you to apply. Judges will play a key role in maintaining the high intellectual standard of the competition, helping to assess the students’ arguments and their ability to engage in thoughtful dialogue.

Coaching for Students
Students looking to compete can also receive expert coaching from our renowned trainers, Archie Stapleton and Zach Bloom, who have coached the winners of the 2021, 2022, and 2024 International Ethics Olympiads. Our coaching sessions are designed to enhance critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and presentation skills, ensuring that students are fully prepared for the competition.

Upcoming Tournaments
The Fall Ethics Olympiad will be followed by a Spring Tournament in March 2025. Details for the Finals are yet to be announced, but we are planning for a possible in-person event in California, with prizes for the winning teams!

Join Us!
If you’re a qualified judge interested in participating or a student eager to compete, register now through the link below. For more details, you can also check out the attached invitation, or contact us directly at panamethics@modusponensinstitute.com.

Register Here!

The invitation is attached below!

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Congrats to Michigan HSEB Champs, Saline High

Saline High School Ethics Bowl team members Brian Kang, Alex Larson, Sarah Yousif, Colin Learman and Michael Bryant.

Regional HSEB champions from across the country will meet in North Carolina for the 11th annual National High School Ethics Bowl in two weeks. We at EthicsBowl.org congratulate, send our admiration and well wishes to all organizers, coaches, teams, families and fans. But special kudos to Saline High, a founding Michigan Bowl League school, for winning the Michigan HSEB and their regional match against the Maryland champs to advance to nationals. Way to go, Coach Ornelas, Brian, Alex, Sarah, Colin and Michael! Here’s some heartfelt praise from founding and former Saline HSEB Coach Shelly Venema, who no doubt strategically positioned the school for their success.

“This year’s team has shown incredible insight, dedication, and teamwork. Each member brings unique strengths creating a group capable of tackling the dilemmas presented in the competition. Saline has worked for many years to win the Michigan Bowl and is so excited to compete at the national level, especially following the impressive national victory by Ann Arbor Skyline High School last year. Michigan is also excited to contribute to the state’s growing legacy in the Michigan Ethics Bowl community.”

It’s a legacy that gets more impressive every year. According to Organizer Jeanine DeLay, 2024’s was “the largest ever gathering with about 175 fabulous students and 85 amazing judges from 13 colleges and universities and community leaders.”

A2Ethics and the University of Michigan’s Philosophy Department definitely know how to make Ethics Bowl as cool as it can be with a red carpet entry for the teams, a team song competition (“Free Will” by Rush was this year’s winner) and philosophically awesome team names including The Drowning Children, Shackled Leviathan, Parfit for a Queen, Aristotle’s Garden, Serving Kant, The Soaring Socratics, Kantscientious Objectors, Kant Stop and Locke-d In.

Add one-of-a-kind promo art like the below and it’s hard to find a better run, more fun Ethics Bowl. Keep up the great work, rock on, and enjoy Chapel Hill, Michiganders!

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Announcing the 2024 Pan American Ethics Olympiad!

A new Ethics competition, hosted by the Modus Ponens Institute, will be held in March 2024. The Western competition will be on the 10th of March, and the Eastern competition will be on March 30th. The Pan American Final will be held on April 14th.

This event is unique for a few reasons: first, it has an exciting International competition students can attend if they place in the top positions at the National tournament. Also, all judges have extensive background in either Philosophy or a related field of study, or a history of Ethics Olympiad judging. They will provide extensive feedback each round, which will be invaluable for your improvement throughout the rounds!

Furthermore, the competition emphasizes the use of ethical theories to ground arguments. Understanding the key theories, utilitarianism, some sort of deontology (the founding father being Emmanuel Kant), care ethics, virtue ethics, and perhaps Rawlsian justice could all be utilized to build your positions.

You can find additional info at the Modus Ponens Institute webpage, or you can get in touch with the organizers at panamethics@modusponensinstitute.com. They will release the cases to you, and offer training if you desire it, once you’ve registered for the competition.

Finally, if you have any financial difficulty paying for the team fee ($180 Canadian dollars), or for pre-tournament coaching, you can simply ask via email for a scholarship, and access will be granted.

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Kicking Off the Season with New Cases, New Studio Times & New AAPAE Champions

Happy fall! With the 2023-2024 season fully underway, here are three important updates.

  1. The NHSEB case pool is live here. Favorites include #1 on generative AI (my second favorite issue), #4 on Canada’s recent move to freeze the finances of certain protestors (PM Trudeau sparking considerable debate), and #5 on the morality of cruelty in video games (which is very likely to lead to callousness in the real world).
  2. Per a recent email from our friends at UNC’s Parr Center and the National High School Ethics Bowl, “NHSEBAcademy’s popular Studio Hours program has been revamped and now offers on-demand appointments every day of the week and across multiple time zones.” Session foci range from case brainstorming to presentation consultation to commentary workshops to judge Q&A practice. Live, on-demand, free coaching on the core components of Ethics Bowling? That’s hard to beat. If you’re coaching a team or on a team, book some free studio time here. A big thank you to our friends at Parr for offering such a helpful and generous resource.
  3. The first-ever Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics (AAPAE) Tertiary Ethics Olympiad (comparable to the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl sponsored by America’s Association for Practical and Professional Ethics) was held earlier this week. Australian National University took the Gold and Bronze medals, and Macquarie University the silver. Congrats to them as well as honorable mention winners at the University of Melbourne and Monash University. And thanks to multiple time zone international organizer extraordinaire, Matthew Wills, for the invitation to judge. It’s always a pleasure. Even when my mid-40s brain gets a little tired after midnight 😉 Group photo below.
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1st International Tertiary Ethics Bowl-Olympiad Results

Congratulations to Australian National University in taking both the gold and bronze medals in the first international collegiate Ethics Bowl/Olympiad! I had the honor of volunteer judging the evening of the 18th (the morning of the 19th in Australia) and the competition was impressive on several levels, with ultra-prepared teams from the U.S. and Down Under, and a collegial, collaborative spirit running all the way from Ethics Olympiad Director Matthew Wills and Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Director John Garcia, through judges, coaches and teams.

According to organizer Matthew Wills, the winners were:

Gold – Australian National University Team 2

Silver – Tufts University

Bronze – Australian National University Team 1

Whitworth University was close behind in fourth, with honorable mentions awarded to Tufts University, University of Chicago and Monash University.

Kudos to Matthew and John for making this first collegiate-level international Bowl/Olympiad a reality, to the judges for volunteering their valuable time, and to the coaches and teams for spreading the goodwill of our unique approach to difficult moral and political issues across oceans and around the world. It’s needed in every country, and through partnerships like these the ethically-minded can combine forces, mutually empowering and elevating discourse one conversation at a time.