2023-2024: Check back in September for details about our plans to return to an in-person tournament hosted on the Brown University Campus for the new Ethics Bowl season. In the meantime, visit the NHSEB to browse past cases and other resources.

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2022-2023:

Congratulations to East Greenwich High School, winners of the 7th Annual Rhode Island Regional High School Ethics Bowl on February 5, 2023. After winning our tournament they advanced to the new Northeast Divisional Playoff against the winners of other nearby regionals.

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2021-2022:

Congratulations to The Met High School, winners of the 6th Annual Rhode Island Regional High School Ethics Bowl on February 6, 2022. After winning our tournament they advanced to a playoff against the winners of Connecticut’s Ethics Bowl.

2020-2021:

Congratulations to Moses Brown, winners of the 5th Annual Rhode Island Regional on January 31, 2021. After winning a playoff against the winners of the Connecticut Ethics Bowl, they advanced to the national tournament where they competed with teams from across the country.

Thanks to all the students from 360 High School, Blackstone Valley Prep, Classical High School, The Met, and Moses Brown for their resilience in adapting to an online format and for leading some of the best ethical discussions our volunteers have seen.

2019-2020:

Congratulations to the Lincoln School, winners of the 4th Annual Rhode Island Regional on January 26, 2020. They then went on to score another victory in their virtual playoff against the winners of the Connecticut Ethics Bowl, and they were slated to advance to the national tournament in April before it was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 Crisis.

Thanks to all the students from Blackstone Valley Prep, Lincoln School, The Met, Moses Brown, Narragansett High School, Noble and Greenough, and RINI Middle College for leading a day of thoughtful ethical discussion.

General Information:

The Rhode Island High School Ethics Bowl is an annual competition in which high school students from around the state come together to discuss ethical questions.  The event is hosted by Brown University with generous support from the Department of Philosophy and the Center for Ethical Inquiry.

In the Ethics Bowl students are encouraged to express and develop their own ethical commitments through a careful consideration of all relevant points of view. Unlike traditional debate competitions, the goal is not to defeat your opponent by overwhelming them with arguments for your side. Instead, Ethics Bowl scoring rewards collaborative discussion, engagement with conflicting viewpoints, and generous acknowledgement of objections.

In addition, participating students have the opportunity to meet with Brown graduate students and professors who serve as philosophy mentors.

Our first four years have been a great success, bringing together a diverse set of students from Rhode Island public high schools, public charter schools, and independent private schools. Last year we hosted teams from 7 local schools, and we’d like to see that number expand.

For more information:

To Register: