Manhattanville College Hosts Annual Ethics Bowl

PURCHASE, NY – February, 2024 – High School students from across the region gathered to answer some thorny ethical questions as part of the 9th Annual Ethics Bowl hosted by Manhattanville College.

Sponsored by the college’s philosophy program in cooperation with the Marshall Institute for Ethical Thought and Action, the regional bowl was held January 27. The competition pitted high school students from top-tier regional high schools including Arlington High School, Dover High School, the French-American School of New York, George F. Baker High School, Haldane High School, School of the Holy Child, John S. Burke Catholic High School, The Montfort Academy, Paraclete Academy, Poughkeepsie High School, and Salesian High School.

Paraclete Academy in Greenwich, CT placed first for the region followed by runner-up Haldane High School in Cold Spring, NY.

Paraclete Academy will compete with the New Jersey Regional High School Ethics Bowl Champions in a Divisional Playoff on February 7th (to be held online) to determine who will compete at the National Level at UNC – Chapel Hill.

Beginning with breakfast and check-in at Manhattanville’s Pius X Auditorium in Brownson Hall, the region’s best and brightest prepared themselves for a day of mental fortitude and battling of wits that lasted until the closing ceremonies.

Manhattanville students, alumni, friends, and professors watched five rounds to determine the winning team. In addition to Manhattanville faculty and students, a unique roster of judges presided over the event, including a former U.S. Appellate Court Judge.

The teams came from throughout the county and were presented with 16-20 ethical scenarios to study ahead of time that they then had to discuss as part of the competition. During the competition, teams are asked to come up with a solution and, more importantly, defend their position in an intelligent and logical fashion.

One topic included whether artwork produced by artificial intelligence (AI) should have a copyright. Other topics included state secession and the ethics of “savior babies” (children who are born to provide a sibling in medical need with biological material).

The students were judged by whether they had captured the salient ethical issues and how clearly they stated their cases. Although it is a competition, the bowl is about the process and how opposing teams work together to arrive at the truth.

“This is always a wonderful event, and this year was no exception,” said Professor Siobhan Nash-Marshall, Ph.D., Manhattanville’s Mary T. Clark Chair of Christian Philosophy. “We are grateful that so many bright high school students are willing to tackle complicated ethical problems. Clear thinking and ethical dialogue are two of the hallmarks of philosophy at Manhattanville.”

About Manhattanville College

Manhattanville College is a small, private liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence, purposeful education, and social justice. U.S. News and World Report ranks Manhattanville the number one private, non-profit institution among Top Performers on Social Mobility in Regional Universities North 2022, 2023, and 2024. Located 30 miles from New York City on a 100-acre suburban campus in the heart of bustling Westchester County, Manhattanville enables easy access to robust entertainment offerings, educational resources, and business opportunities for its primarily residential and diverse student body. The College serves close to 1,400 undergraduate students and nearly 1,000 graduate students from more than 44 countries and 33 states. Founded in 1841, the college offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate areas of study in the arts and sciences, education, business, and creative writing, as well as continuing and executive education programs. Graduate students can choose from more than 70 graduate and certificate programs. Extracurricular offerings include more than 70 clubs and organizations and 23 NCAA Division III teams. To learn more, visit www.mville.edu.