Ethics Bowl shows what is missing in political discourse March 3, 2021
“We look forward to hearing what you have to enrich the discussion,” said one student to an opponent at the second annual Ethics Bowl Feb. 27 in discussing whether or not pardoning criminals gave justice to the victims. “I’m excited to hear what team B has to say,” said another young competitor with a smile.
Such pleasantries with the opposing team is not traditional competitive etiquette, even in debate, but it is the norm at the Ontario High School Ethics Bowl, and is in fact encouraged, said Jeffrey Senese, president of the Ontario High School Ethics Bowl hosted by the University of Toronto Philosophy Department.
South Tampa Chamber Of Commerce: Saint Leo University Holds Soft Opening For New Food Truck patch.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from patch.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
With the nadir in civic discourse at last year’s U.S. presidential debates fresh in their minds, high school students from across Ontario are preparing to receive an antidote by competing in a high-minded tournament of ideas.
Students on 20 teams from 16 schools are getting acquainted with the ways an “ethics bowl” differs from the debating competitions many of them have previously taken part in, and participants say the exercise holds valuable lessons for those in positions of power, too.
In a typical debate, “the way you win isn t necessarily by trying to get to the truth, but rather by rhetorical mastery, or trickery, one-upmanship over your opponent,” Jeffrey Senese, president of the Ontario High School Ethics Bowl, explained to a group of students from Assumption College Catholic High School in Windsor this week.