A Few Great Debates

Kennedy vs Nixon - the most famous of modern times

"Who won the debate?"  This common question betrays our general sense of the purpose of a debate.  Who won the argument?  Which decision is to be followed?  What direction do we take?

As a youngster, when I participated in friendly informal debates or in contests, I was always left wanting; with a hollow feeling whether I 'won' or 'lost' a debate.  It seemed to me, that whether it was the friends listening in, during the informal debates, or the judges in the more formal setting - the declaration of the winner was more based on style, preparation, dramatics, humor and incidentally, substance!

Also, in a debate, it is seldom encouraged for the debater of one side, to say, "I hear you - I understand where you are coming from," to the opponent.  For, in the context of an argument, that would be tantamount to a concession!

Over the years, I have come to value debates a lot.  But for a very different reason.  For me a debate is not about winning or losing an argument.  A debate is a way to take positions to clarify a situation.  To throw more light on a problem at hand.  The most inscrutable, thorny, sticky wicket questions that we are eternally faced with, do not lend themselves to resolution through a facile 'debate', as the word is generally understood.

But the very same style, humor, dramatics taken for the purpose of clarification, all of a sudden serves the purpose of taking a rather dry subject and infusing it with interest, perhaps even a thrill!

In the real world that we live in there are debates to be had that are of great consequence.  Some are in politics.  Others in religion.  Some in philosophy, and others in science.

I have built below, a subjective collection of great debates that I have been following.  If taken in the light of 'clarification', rather than winner vs loser; I believe we can examine these problems with deep and objective interest.  Whereas, if we were to examine them from a who won and who lost perspective, we would shut our minds to the 'who lost' side!

Hope you enjoy these debates, as much as I am....


I.  Politics:  Liberalism vs Conservatism (Left vs Right)

Niall Ferguson on the right:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/08/19/niall-ferguson-on-why-barack-obama-needs-to-go.html

Paul Krugman on the left:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/20/paul-krugman-niall-ferguson-newsweek_n_1810136.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular










II.  Economics:  Free Markets vs Government Regulation

Larry Summers vs Joseph Stiglitz

Larry Summers

The debate:
http://prospect.org/article/shoeless-joe-stiglitz

Joseph Stiglitz

III.  Social Change:  Slavery

Abraham Lincoln vs Stephen Douglas

The debate:
http://www.agingonthevine.blogspot.com/2010/08/lincoln-douglas-debates.html

IV.  Religion:  God vs Science

Karen Armstrong vs Richard Dawkins

Karen Armstrong

The debate:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574405030643556324.html

Richard Dawkins

V. Philosophy

Karl Popper vs Ludwig Wittgenstein

The debate:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/mar/31/artsandhumanities.highereducation

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/30/books/review/30HOLTLT.html?pagewanted=all

Wittgenstein

VI. Artificial Intelligence vs Organic Intelligence

Daniel Dennett vs John Searle

The debate:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/45344182/Dennett-vs-Searle

Hope you have enjoyed these.

Please feel free to add other topics that have engendered great debates, and please point to the debaters as well.