The Ethics Cup 2022 began in January with 55 schools and hundreds of students competing in seven regional tournaments, which were hosted by: Buckie Community High School, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, King’s College London, and University of Kent.
The Finals took place on 31 May at the United College at the University of St. Andrews. The competition featured teams from 11 U.K. secondary schools converging on St. Andrews from near and far (including Kent!).
Approximately 80 students competed, discussing topics including anger in politics, giving pets as Christmas gifts, and mobile phone bans in school. 30 volunteers assisted on the day.
Each team played two matches during the afternoon session, after which point the most successful four teams advanced to the knockout stage. The semi-finals featured Christ’s Hospital School winning a unanimous victory over The Hammond School and Worth School winning a unanimous victory over St. Columba’s School. Semi-final judges included Stephen Gethins, former MP for North-east Fife, and Alastair Merrill, St. Andrews’s VP for Governance.
The championship match was contested before a distinguished panel of judges: Julia Driver, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas; Willie Rennie, MSP for North-east Fife, and Sally Mapstone, Principal of the University of St. Andrews. The topics discussed were moral risks, and whether individuals with disability should have the right to work from home. In a split decision, Worth School emerged victorious.