The Taylor Ethics Bowl team has made it to national competition the past nine consecutive years and is now preparing for regionals.
Professor of Philosophy and Religion Jim Spiegel has coached the Ethics Bowl team for the past 20 years. The team views and breaks down ethical cases involving all fields of vocation and decides on the most ethical way to handle them.
“It is the ultimate liberal arts experience,” Spiegel said. “That is one of the things that makes it particularly exciting, seeing such integration of content from a number of disciplines. You can’t help but think theologically about these things.”
The team debates the ethics of decisions in many disciplines and discusses ideas such as history, social science, hard science and technology.
Competitions generally consist of two teams from opposing schools and a panel of three judges. In one match, the first team presents for seven minutes followed by a five-minute rebuttal by the second team. Afterward, the first team has five minutes for closing statements and ten minutes of questions by the judges. After the match it takes about 45 minutes to one hour for the standings to be released.
At regional competition the team participates in three matches and at the national preliminary competition they compete in four. Team members agree that competitions — especially the trip to nationals — are some of the best experiences they have had with the team.
Team captain, junior Reilly LaRose has been involved with Ethics Bowl for three years.
“My favorite part about the team is that it really stretches the way I look at issues, because people don’t generally take an ethics bowl approach to understanding problems in their lives,”LaRose said.
Sophomore Elizabeth Hammond is starting her second year on the Ethics Bowl team.
She loves to view her pursuit of knowledge as an act of glorifying God as she investigates controversial questions from a Christian worldview.
“It really helps me to have a better process to evaluate things in a whole sense,” Hammond said. “I see that as a way to worship God and to grow my mind.”
This year’s regional competition will take place on Nov. 2 at Marion University in Indianapolis, and the national competition will begin Feb. 22 in Atlanta, Ga.
The Ethics Bowl team held their first mock competition on Oct. 30 in Ayres. In this free event the team divided into two and competed against one another in front of a panel of judges, simulating a real competition. To find out more about the Ethics Bowl team, their future competitions or how to join the team next year, contact Spiegel at jmspiegel@tayloru.edu.
