Tug of logic (competitive game of collaborative reasoning)

Tug of Logic, a board game created in the context of the Douglas College Critical Thinking course (Philosophy 1101), was invited to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) to be part of the first national Canadian High School Ethics Bowl (CHSEB), which took place April 24-25, 2019 in Winnepeg. Almost 100 public high school students from across Canada (mostly Manitoba and BC) converged on the CMHR to explore the Museum, take part in a day of Ethics Games for the Mind, and to watch or compete in the CHSEB (www.ethicsbowl.ca/">https://www.ethicsbowl.ca). The games are organized annually by the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties (MARL) along with numerous partners (www.marl.mb.ca/">http://www.marl.mb.ca). Formed in 1978, MARL is a non-profit, non-governmental, human rights and civil liberties organization that works toward greater social justice through education and advocacy for human rights and civil liberties. Having adapted the US original to the Canadian context, MARL and partners have hosted an Ethics Bowl in Manitoba for a few years; 2019 marked the first national games.

A competitive game of collaborative reasoning, Tug of Logic embodies certain principles and distinctions necessary to logical reasoning by spatializing them on the game board. Developed in the context of first-year critical thinking courses at Douglas College, it has since been adopted in Vancouver areas high schools as well. The game requires each player to write down reasons for or against a specified controversial statement and then, through facilitated dialogue, to each in turn seek support for his or her stated reason from all other players, who show where they stand by placing their game-piece in designated areas on the board. This transparency defines the persuasive problem and initiates an inquiry into unstated premises in an effort to build a logically sufficient case. Players, even junior high school students, intuitively grasp abstract distinctions between form and content, premise and conclusion, acceptability of assumptions and logical sufficiency. At these levels, the game requires initial facilitation by those with greater logical acumen, making the game suitable for teacher training.