The State of Debate: An Intelligence Squared Roundtable

Open to Debate

Education, Society & Culture, News, Government, Politics

4.5 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2021

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Generally, it is good practice for any individual or organization to occasionally step back and evaluate a few big picture items. But when that review is sparked by a pandemic and real uncertainties about the state of western democracy, that little exercise often becomes existential. In that spirit, and in this special season review, Intelligence Squared casts a critical lens on itself; its mission to serve as a beacon for civil discourse, its examination of opposing perspectives; and the transformation the organization itself has experienced in light of such seismic events. In this especially candid discussion, John Donvan sits down with Intelligence Squared CEO Clea Conner, editor-at-large of Reason magazine, Nick Gillespie, and Robert Litan, an economist and attorney, whose recent book “Resolved: Debate Can Revolutionize Education and Help Save Our Democracy” bears particular relevance to this conversation. Collectively, this group asks the hard questions about the role of debate in society, but also of how IQ2 pivoted as the virtual world opened up. Finally, it is a look at the precious few places left for genuine discussion, and why, perhaps, it is needed now more than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.0	In this moment where you hear this phrase a post-truth world bandied about,
0:37.0	uh, constantly, oh we're in a post-truth world, we can't find the truth.
0:42.0	I mean, I feel like that's the function of debate is to try and get to that truth.
0:48.0	Hi everybody and welcome to Intelligent Squared. I'm John Don Van and today debate,
0:54.0	that thing that we do, as you know, but rather than presented debate in this program the way I usually do,
1:00.0	I want to take you behind the scenes at IQ2, which is what we call ourselves behind the scenes in Intelligent Squared.
1:07.0	I want to do that in a couple of different ways.
1:09.0	One is I want you to meet somebody other than myself who is part of our organization
1:15.0	to share with you what we all did during the pandemic.
1:19.0	And the other thing we want to do is to look at some of the questions that we're asking ourselves about that thing that we do, debate.
1:26.0	For example, where does debate now fit into our polarized national discourse?
1:31.0	Are we shedding light with debate? Does it lead to anything that we can reasonably call truth?
1:36.0	Have we all become so mired these days in our own filtered confirmation bias that real debate is actually maybe a non-starter?
1:43.0	And finally, has the cost of trying out new ideas become so high that maybe we don't really want to risk it in public any longer?
1:52.0	You've heard me say this before. Our mission is to serve as a beacon for those who still crave reasoned analysis and constructive public discourse,
2:02.0	but we cannot do it alone. We need, as always, your support, as well as the support of those who really think about this stuff.
2:09.0	And so today, I have the pleasure of introducing three guests who will help me examine this thing that we are all trying to do here at IQ2 and trying to preserve.
	...

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