*New* Released September 15, 2025 – International Democracy Day

★★★★★

Ethics Bowl is a debate variant where “for” and “against” positions are not assigned. Just like in the real world, teams are instead given the freedom and responsibility to decide tough moral and political issues for themselves, and tasked with making a reasoned, sincere case supporting their view.

There’s no need for spiteful attack. There’s no requirement to pretend they alone possess the perfect, unassailable truth. Agreeing is OK. Admitting error is OK. Even changing their mind is OK (gasp!). Thoughtfulness, listening, a desire to learn rather than dominate—these are the refreshingly novel norms of Ethics Bowl.

It’s essentially gamified deliberative democracy. And the people who know Ethics Bowl best believe it’s a powerful way to rejuvenate democratic norms, decrease political violence, promote solutions and peace.

My new book, Ethics Bowl to the Rescue! Saving Democracy by Transforming Debate, is a call to the Ethics Bowl community to be more vocal proponents, and a invitation to traditional debaters to join us. Sample the first few pages and see why Ethics Bowl can help heal our unnecessarily divided country and world.