Posted on September 4, 2025 by Nick Ward
The Ethics Bowl is not your typical academic competition. There are no buzzer rounds, no raised voices, and no binary positions to defend. Instead, teams engage in carefully reasoned dialogue about some of today’s most complex ethical dilemmas ranging from use of artificial intelligence to school policies on cell phone use. And at UT San Antonio, the team tackling those questions is guided by Joseph Martinez, assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Philosophy and Classics, who specializes in the topics of free will and moral responsibility.
Joseph Martinez with Ethics Bowl students
The Ethics Bowl is not your typical academic competition. There are no buzzer rounds, no raised voices, and no binary positions to defend. Instead, teams engage in carefully reasoned dialogue about some of today’s most complex ethical dilemmas ranging from use of artificial intelligence to school policies on cell phone use. And at UT San Antonio, the team tackling those questions is guided by Joseph Martinez, assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Philosophy and Classics, who specializes in the topics of free will and moral responsibility.
“It’s a competition that forces you to slow down and work together,” Martinez explained. “You’re not just trying to win an argument. You’re trying to arrive at a clear, well-reasoned position, and part of that means engaging respectfully with opposing viewpoints.”
Ethics Bowl competitors are assigned a series of contemporary case studies each fall. Over the course of several months, teams analyze the cases and prepare responses to potential questions from judges and other teams. At the tournament, teams present their positions, respond to critiques, and askfollow-up questions of their opponents, all while maintaining a collaborative tone.
Unlike traditional debate formats that assign opposing sides to a fixed question, Ethics Bowl allows participants to partially or even fully agree on a conclusion while differing on the reasons behind it. This opens space for deeper discussion, nuance, and a greater sense of shared purpose. Scoring emphasizes clarity, depth of reasoning, and respectful engagement.
“It’s not about who can talk the loudest,” Martinez said. “It’s about who can think the clearest, and who can articulate a well-structured, thoughtful case.”
The team dynamic reflects that spirit. Weekly meetings function more like philosophy seminars than practice drills, with open discussion at the center. Team members collaboratively break down ethical issues, consider counterarguments, and refine their positions together. During competition, speaking roles are divided based on student expertise and comfort level.
“One of the great things about Ethics Bowl is how accessible it is. You don’t need a background in philosophy, you just need a willingness to think carefully and listen deeply.”
Martinez sees clear communication, empathy, and ethical reasoning as skills that serve students well in their careers and in their roles as engaged members of their communities.
“Our students are wrestling with issues that lawmakers and voters are debating in real time,” he said. “Learning how to engage with those issues in a thoughtful and collaborative way is preparation for leadership, no matter the field.”
For Martinez, the value of Ethics Bowl goes far beyond competition. He sees it as a timely tool for civic development, especially in an era marked by political polarization and strained public discourse.
“It’s not controversial to say that our current culture of online discourse could use some improvement,” he said. “People don’t often take the time to listen, to be charitable, or to understand where others are coming from. Ethics Bowl helps build those habits. It trains you to take opposing views seriously and to explain your own views clearly and respectfully.”
That ethos has helped revive enthusiasm for the program at UT San Antonio. After a brief period of dormancy, the team has seen renewed momentum under Martinez’s guidance and not every team member is a COLFA major. One of the lead students for the team is Business major Fischer Powell.
“I really like that Ethics Bowl is structured in a non-adversarial way, where you’re often agreeing and even collaborating with your opponents! Instead of fighting to win, we worked together to understand real, timely issues and build solutions grounded in practical reasoning,” said Powell. “It taught me that ethics isn’t just about having the right answer, it’s about how we think through tricky problems together.”
Powell’s experience highlights how Ethics Bowl can benefit students across disciplines. For Martinez, that’s no surprise. He views philosophy itself as one of the most practical majors a student can pursue especially when it comes to preparing for law school and high-performing careers.
“Philosophy offers a lot more than people realize. It’s one of the best majors for students thinking about law school. Philosophers consistently score among the highest on both the GRE and the LSAT.”
He also pointed to long-term benefits.
“Studies show that philosophy majors do well in terms of mid-career earnings. Among humanities majors, they’re at the top. And even compared with other non-engineering majors, philosophy majors hold their own. The stereotype of the philosophy grad stuck working at a coffee shop forever really doesn’t hold up.”
Martinez believes the skills developed through philosophical reflection extend far beyond the classroom. The ability to think critically, write clearly, and engage with complex problems prepares students for meaningful work in law, business, public service, and other fields that demand careful reasoning and communication. “These are exactly the things employers are looking for,” he said. “You learn how to articulate your thoughts, how to analyze difficult situations, and how to ask better questions.” And through the Ethics Bowl, students put those abilities into practice, gaining experience that prepares them to navigate more than academic challenges, but the larger ethical questions they will face throughout their lives.
Students interested in joining the UT San Antonio Ethics Bowl team can reach out to Martinez directly at joseph.martinez@utsa.edu.
— Nick Ward
