Pellissippi State Community College students traveled to Illinois this fall to compete in an Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl for the first time ever, engaging in civil discourse on a variety of philosophical issues with students from across the country.
Unlike in traditional debate settings, Ethics Bowl participants are not assigned positions to defend on any given issue. Instead, Ethics Bowl teams must figure out for themselves the prevailing opinion of their members prior to the event, where they will then present their argument, listen to the arguments of others, and collaborate to reach a consensus.
“So, it’s less confrontational,” said Matt Deaton, philosophy instructor and alumnus at Pellissippi State – and co-coach of the college’s inaugural Ethics Bowl team. “It’s less adversarial. It’s far more civil, collaborative, and solution-oriented.”
Deaton, who founded the Tennessee High School Ethics Bowl, has served as Director of Outreach for the National High School Ethics Bowl and recently published a book, “Ethics Bowl to the Rescue!: Saving Democracy by Transforming Debate.”
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Pellissippi State Community College is a public community college based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college operates four campuses: Hardin Valley, Blount County, Strawberry Plains, and Magnolia Avenue.
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