The "Intellectual Equivalent of a
Pro-Wrestling Smackdown" (New York Times), IQ2
is a debate for the civilized. Legalize Drugs, Guns Reduce Crime, Global
Warming is Not a Crisis, and other controversial topics are a few of the topics
Intelligence Squared (IQ2) has covered. This week, IQ2 debated the topic,
"Prohibit
Genetically Engineered Babies." Click
here to see the results and read on to hear how it
works.
"Always intelligent and provocative, as well
as disciplined and civil." The Wall Street Journal
Imported from England, IQ2 follows the Oxford-Style
debate. It starts with one highly controversial statement
(like "Ban
College Football") and 2-3 prepared debaters on either
side. These debaters are highly opinionated, well-respected persons in
their field. This often includes journalists, professors (especially law
professors) and more famous participants like John Stossel, Malcolm Gladwell, Fareed
Zakaria, and Arianna Huffington. The
debate follows a highly formal style: each debater gives their prepared, 7
minute argument. The moderator (John Donovan) summarizes their arguments
and asks questions of the debaters. Audience members ask questions and then
each debater gets 2 minutes for closing statements.
What makes this a "smackdown?" IQ2 asks
for audience members (and website visitors) to vote before the debate begins
and after, turning the debate into a contest. The "winner" doesn't
have to win the most votes total, just needs to change the larger percentage of
votes toward their side.
Also, the website is a great source of information. Each has a “Debate Education Library” that highlights hundreds of hours of research for the debate. Resources from past debates are listed in the "Education" tab at the top of the page. For example, interested in public health? You might find the resources under “Obesity is the Government’s Business” or “We Should Legalize the Market for Human Organs” helpful. This would be a great place to go to find an already assembled list of resources, but if you're in need of a controversial topic to write a paper on, blog and twitter feeds have a wealth of current trends and information.
Past debates are available on iTunes as podcasts or
on the video archive. NPR has broadcasted the debate, and now PBS will also
show the debate. The next debate is February 13: Prohibit
Genetically Engineered Babies.
And, of course, you could always plan your next trip to New York City
around an upcoming
debate! (Student
discount tickets are only $12!)
This season:
Israel
Can Live with a Nuclear Iran (January 16, 2013)
Prohibit
Genetically Engineered Babies (February 13, 2013)
America
Doesn't Need a Strong Dollar Policy (March 13, 2013)
The
GOP Must Seize the Center or Die (April 17, 2013)
The
FDA's Caution is Hazardous to Our Health (May 8, 2013)
1 comment:
After carefully watching several episodes it is the entertainment in the promotion of apparent intellect as part of the framework of the theatrics that I find most valuable.
While topics of interest to the public on policy are typically selected to draw participants into a demonstration of intellectual debate and rebuttal, it is in reality an exercise in the demonstration of the ease of which the large majority of people are peaceably convinced, deceived and directed to support a point of view.
It is no more than a demonstrative training tool to teach the ultimate salesman, our politicians, how to sell ice to Eskimos, and in particular, why the Eskimo should buy their political ice over the other politicians ice. All the while, the Eskimo already has the best ice.
I would prefer to see that observation taught by brave men and women to the brain dead voting public before we end ourselves by our own hand yet again.
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