Oklahoma Christian University’s Ethics team created solutions to ethic-based cases in national competition this past weekend.
The competition was held in Dallas, marking the team’s fifth appearance in nationals within the six years of its formation. According to Jeffery Simmons, faculty advisor for the ethics team, they were able to participate in nationals by placing in the top three at the Texas Regional Ethics Bowl.
Simmons said his role is to encourage and aid the members of the ethics team by making sure they have sound arguments on the topics presented to them.
“As the advisor, I try to get them prepared,” Simmons said. “I select team members and help them get ready for the competition. I help them think through how they can build their argument for answering the case questions so that when the time comes to compete, they’re ready.”
Team member junior Hadley Lamascus said during competition the team examines ethical case questions and searches for a solution.
“We take various philosophers and ethical constructs from various works, and we apply those to the cases and try to come up with an ethical and pragmatic solution,” Lamascus said.
Lamascus said the team practices twice each week, discussing ethical case questions to prepare for rationalizing in a debate setting.
“We first look through all the cases presented to us and just talk about it,” Lamascus said. “I really like that portion of ethics because it emulates essentially what any intelligent group of people would do around a meal or at coffee. After looking at it through casual context and deciding how we feel about it, we start to encounter it with actual philosophies and justifications.”
Senior Preston Coleman, a member of the ethics team since the fall of 2016, said he was eager to see the team’s training finally pay off prior to the National Ethics Bowl. According to Coleman, competing on a national level can be daunting but the payoff comes from seeing teams from all over the country come together to debate.
“The most intimidating part of participating in a competition of this nature is the pressure,” Coleman said. “The teams at the national competition are the best of the best.”
The Oklahoma Christian ethics team did not place after competing on Sunday in the National Ethics Bowl, however, they succeeded in winning two of three matches.
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