MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE’S ETHICS BOWL

There were some challenging ethical questions posed to high school students competing in  Manhattanville College”™s sixth annual Ethics Bowl, sponsored by its philosophy program in cooperation with the Marshall Institute for Ethical Thought and Action. Nine schools, 16 teams and more than 90 students participated in the two-day virtual event in February.  

Hackley School, a college preparatory school in Tarrytown took top honors, winning elimination rounds against a diverse slate of both private and public high schools. 

In addition to Manhattanville faculty and students, a unique roster of judges presided over the event, including several members of the clergy as well as a U.S. federal court appellate judge. 

“We had the most international team of judges than any ethics bowl in the country. This is where the online aspect helped. We had them from Italy, Germany, England, the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala and different states within the United States,”™”™ said Siobhan Nash-Marshall, Ph.D., chairwoman of Manhattanville”™s philosophy department who headed the event. 

Hermann Herder, a high school student from Montreal, Canada, and one of the judges said,

“”¦What makes the Manhattanville Ethics Bowl special and different from other, similar competitions is that rather than focus on the end results, the Bowl is all about the process.” 

Philosophy has always held a special place at Manhattanville College. As a liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, it emphasizes critical thought as the linchpin to analysis of complex issues in an ever-changing world. 

Founded in 1841, the college offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate areas of study.