Amid a global pandemic and a national reckoning on race, a host of complicated ethical issues were raised over the last year, from schools resuming in-person learning to calls to defund the police and rename buildings named after racist figures.
Dozens of high school and middle school students from across the region will tackle these issues and more when they meet for the Oregon High School and Middle School Ethics Bowls Feb. 6 and 7.
The Ethics Bowl focuses on civil dialogue rather than debate, says Alex Sager, chair of Portland State's Philosophy Department, which organizes the annual regional competition.
"We encourage them to give a sincere ethical analysis that takes into account the complexity of these issues," he said. "The goal is to practice citizenship and be able to talk together about things that matter to our lives and our society in a way that's respectful of other points of view."
In each round, teams of three to five students will present their cases on a given topic featuring tricky moral questions or dilemmas, like "Was it morally permissible to open up schools for face-to-face instruction under the circumstances" or "Does the racially oppressive history of American policing mean the institution is, as some activists suggest, not able to be reformed?"
The opposing team then provides commentary; they can disagree but they can also agree by probing them to build on their argument or consider a different viewpoint. The presenting team then has a chance to respond before the panel of judges chimes in and asks questions.
Sager says the event restores his faith in humanity and democracy — a sentiment echoed by many of the judges.
"High school students are going to be voting in a few years," he said. "Certainly, they should be thinking about these issues and learning how to talk about these things gets them out of their different bubbles and social media pockets. Being able to have a reasonable disagreement with a person is a tremendous skill to have."
The event is virtual this year. The earlier rounds will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6, while the semifinal and final rounds will be open to the public on Sunday, Feb. 7 starting at 1 p.m. The winner advances to the National High School Ethics Bowl, which Jesuit High School won in 2019.
Participating high schools include Columbia River High School, Clackamas High School, Jesuit High School, Lake Oswego High School, Lincoln High School, Northwest Academy, Oregon City High School, St. Mary's Academy, Sunset High School, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics and Village Home Educational Resource Center.