Ethics Bowl

The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl is a co-curricular activity that allows students to discuss ethical questions in a fun, competitive format. Teams analyze and comment on contemporary moral issues and then judges ask questions and score teams on their responses.

The Philosophy Department at Virginia Tech has a lively Ethics Bowl program with several different components:

• Club meetings: we hold weekly meetings to discuss issues in applied ethics in a relaxed, informal environment. These meetings are not competitive and are open to all VT students - we welcome new participants at any time. Topics vary widely, including issues in tech ethics, biomedical ethics, public policy, and international relations.

• Travel team: each fall, we field a team to compete in a regional ethics bowl competition. In the Fall of 2024, the VT team traveled to the Chesapeake Regional Ethics Bowl competition in Baltimore, Maryland. Virginia Tech went 6-0 in their matches, taking first place in the competition and earning a spot at the National Competition.

• Spring competition: each April we host the VT Ethics Bowl Case Competition, a three-night tournament open to all VT students, who form their own teams of 2-4 people. The top three teams receive scholarship prizes of up to $1500.

Some students enjoy the competitive element of Ethics Bowl, while others just like to drop by the weekly meetings for stimulating conversations. If you are a student at VT and are interested in ethics, we would love to have you join us for a meeting!