Precollege Philosophy and Public Practice

Volume 1, Winter 2019

Diverse Approaches to Dialogue in Public and Precollege Philosophy

Inside Conversations
Ethics Bowl and Philosophical Dialogue in San Quentin

The Ethics Bowl is a new debate format that is taking hold in high schools, colleges, and universities across the country. It emphasizes constructive, respectful dialogue about difficult contemporary problems in applied ethics. This paper argues that the Ethics Bowl is a particularly promising program for incarcerated students. Through a discussion of my experiences doing the Ethics Bowl with incarcerated students, a discussion of the transformative possibilities of philosophical dialogue, and an examination of other anti-recidivism programming, I argue that programs fostering philosophical reflection and dialogue, such as the Ethics Bowl, should play a key role in programming for education programs inside prisons.