Pasadena Polytechnic School wins National Ethics Bowl

(Left to right) Taryn Kim, Shannon Dilbeck, Jordan Hershman and Beau Gilliam. – Courtesy photo / PUSD

For the second consecutive year, Polytechnic School from Pasadena won the second annual Summer High School Ethics Bowl Invitational at the Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University June 26-28.

Sixteen teams were invited to compete.

Ethics Bowl is a debate-style competition that focuses on contemporary moral problems. Unlike typical debate competitions, judging focuses on constructing a well-reasoned argument in a civil manner. Teams will discuss cases involving such questions as whether it’s morally permissible for countries to withhold humanitarian aid, is there moral value to a human corpse, it is okay to take selfies at sites associated with evil, and should artificial intelligence be used to predict hospital patient deaths.

And the winner of the Summer High School Ethics Bowl is….Polytechnic School from Pasadena CA for the second year in a row!! @PasadenaPoly @DePauwU pic.twitter.com/QzIBW75eRI

— Prindle Institute (@DePauwPrindle) June 28, 2019

“In today’s cultural and political climate, the notion of what is ethical is under intense scrutiny,” said Prindle Institute Director Andrew Cullison. “As a result, rather than giving our young people sets of rules, we need to equip them to process different perspectives, engage in open dialogue and arrive at conclusions that are, truly, ethical.”

Cullison added, “The Ethics Bowl experience equips students to do just that.”