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Debate Topics, Challenges and Scheduling

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Debate Topics, Challenges and Scheduling

Mr.Anonymous
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Posted 01/06/07 - 07:13 PM:	#201
I would like to debate the following: Whether the general mass of humanity should rule itself, or should be ruled by the elite. I would take up the position of the elite. Please let me know if anyone is willing to defend the general masses.
Freedom is thought. Fear is weakness. Information is power.

wander
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Posted 01/09/07 - 11:59 PM:	#202
While the general masses have surely had better representatives than myself, I would in my manner debate to no end their defense or the proposition as to whether humanity should rule itself or be ruled by some self-sponsored segment thereof. Edited by wander on 02/02/07 - 08:54 PM. Reason: oddly enough, a double disjunction
"I hope we shall... crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and to bid defiance to the laws of their country." - Thomas Jefferson, letter to George Logan. November 12, 1816.

Mr.Anonymous
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Posted 01/12/07 - 08:58 PM:	#203
wander wrote: While the general masses have surely had better representatives than myself, I would in my manner debate to no end their defense or or the proposition as to whether humanity should rule itself or be ruled by some self-sponsored segment thereof. Well then, looks like I have my opponent. May the best philosopher win. So, shall somebody set up the debate thread?
Freedom is thought. Fear is weakness. Information is power.

dclements
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Posted 01/13/07 - 07:28 AM:	#204
Mr.Anonymous wrote: Well then, looks like I have my opponent. May the best philosopher win. So, shall somebody set up the debate thread? If you haven't done it already, I suggest sending a PM to a moderator.
No, you don't get it, thats why I'm telling you. You think you get it, which isn't the same as actually getting it. Get it?-Kakashi Hatake Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, And vice sometimes by action dignified-Friar Lawrence The state of mind that questions is much more important than the question itself.Any question may be asked by a slavish mind, and the answer it receives will still be be within the limitations of its own slavery...Freedom of desire for an answer is essential for the understanding of a problem-Krishnamurti

Mr.Anonymous
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Posted 01/13/07 - 10:17 AM:	#205
dclements wrote: If you haven't done it already, I suggest sending a PM to a moderator. Actually, I did, but I'll try again sometime.
Freedom is thought. Fear is weakness. Information is power.

Paul
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Posted 01/13/07 - 01:12 PM:	#206
In case anyone else has the same confusion, do not PM moderators, nor people like Interlocutor who aren't moderators and haven't visited the site in two years. Read the pinned thread in this forum and fill out the form as it says.
"If a statement is made, it is to be confronted with the totality of existing statements. If it agrees with them, it is joined to them; if it does not agree, it is called 'untrue' and rejected; or the existing complex of statements of science is modified so that the new statement can be incorporated." - Otto Neurath

Paul
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Posted 02/02/07 - 11:36 AM:	#207
Mr.Anonymous seems to have not been interested after all in the debate he proposed. Is anyone willing to replace him in debating wander?
"If a statement is made, it is to be confronted with the totality of existing statements. If it agrees with them, it is joined to them; if it does not agree, it is called 'untrue' and rejected; or the existing complex of statements of science is modified so that the new statement can be incorporated." - Otto Neurath

dclements
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Posted 02/06/07 - 11:08 AM:	#208
Paul wrote: Mr.Anonymous seems to have not been interested after all in the debate he proposed. Is anyone willing to replace him in debating wander? I really wanted to hear Mr.Anonymous's position and see how he would handle the counter arguements.
No, you don't get it, thats why I'm telling you. You think you get it, which isn't the same as actually getting it. Get it?-Kakashi Hatake Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, And vice sometimes by action dignified-Friar Lawrence The state of mind that questions is much more important than the question itself.Any question may be asked by a slavish mind, and the answer it receives will still be be within the limitations of its own slavery...Freedom of desire for an answer is essential for the understanding of a problem-Krishnamurti

Mr.Anonymous
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Posted 02/09/07 - 03:39 PM:	#209
I am interested! I filled out a request form and sent it in. You guys must not have received it.
Freedom is thought. Fear is weakness. Information is power.

Paul
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Posted 02/09/07 - 05:34 PM:	#210
We did, which is why I asked for your opening post a month ago, Jan 13. Later (Jan 20) I sent a reminder PM which you also ignored. Actually it clearly shows that you read the PMs. Why you read them and then instantly forget them I can't guess. Edited by Paul on 02/09/07 - 05:38 PM
"If a statement is made, it is to be confronted with the totality of existing statements. If it agrees with them, it is joined to them; if it does not agree, it is called 'untrue' and rejected; or the existing complex of statements of science is modified so that the new statement can be incorporated." - Otto Neurath

Mr.Anonymous
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Posted 02/20/07 - 05:37 PM:	#211
Paul wrote: We did, which is why I asked for your opening post a month ago, Jan 13. Later (Jan 20) I sent a reminder PM which you also ignored. Actually it clearly shows that you read the PMs. Why you read them and then instantly forget them I can't guess. My belief was that you would create the thread, and I'd post. Clearly, I was wrong, which I am appologize for. I will take care to analyze the rules more closely in the future. In the meantime, here's another debate topic: Whether a mass democracy is preferable to a direct democracy. Suggestion: Debaters should take into account the uses of the Internet and its uses in sending votes.
Freedom is thought. Fear is weakness. Information is power.

Paul
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Posted 02/21/07 - 09:42 AM:	#212
We've already had 2 debates about democracy. No more are allowed for a while.
"If a statement is made, it is to be confronted with the totality of existing statements. If it agrees with them, it is joined to them; if it does not agree, it is called 'untrue' and rejected; or the existing complex of statements of science is modified so that the new statement can be incorporated." - Otto Neurath

Mr.Anonymous
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Posted 02/21/07 - 04:49 PM:	#213
Paul wrote: We've already had 2 debates about democracy. No more are allowed for a while. Just as a future topic, I mean.
Freedom is thought. Fear is weakness. Information is power.

nawitus
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Posted 05/21/07 - 12:01 PM:	#214
I can debate following: Strong AI is possible.
"In a place like this, words fail. In the end, there can only be a dread silence, a silence which is a heartfelt cry to God -- Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?" - Pope Benedict

Alekhine
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Posted 05/22/07 - 12:37 PM:	#215
I would thoroughly enjoy debating this position: All government is unethical.
Meh

ace of god
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Posted 05/22/07 - 01:25 PM:	#216
Alekhine wrote: I would thoroughly enjoy debating this position: All government is unethical. I wouldn't mind arguing against that.
"What is reality?" "What is home?" "What are cows?" ------------------- "Faith is beleiving in what you can not see. The benifit of faith is that you begin to see what you beleive."- St. Augustine

Alekhine
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Posted 05/22/07 - 03:24 PM:	#217
Sure, I'll try to get the process rolling, as soon as I figure it out.
Meh

si
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Posted 05/23/07 - 03:34 PM:	#218
Go to "Debate Forum Parameters" in the Debate board it's the first thread. Follow the instructions. Edited by si on 05/23/07 - 03:41 PM

Tisthammerw
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Posted 05/25/07 - 03:46 PM:	#219
nawitus wrote: I can debate following: Strong AI is possible. I would be willing to take the counter-argument, assuming we're going with the original (Searle's) definition of the term. John R. Searle is the person who originally coined the term "Strong AI" and he defined it as the thesis that "the appropriately programmed computer really is a mind, in the sense that computers given the right programs can be literally said to understand and have other cognitive states." This is what strong AI is, and this is what I dispute. Edit: added second paragraph. Edited by Tisthammerw on 05/28/07 - 10:14 AM
Knowing is half the battle; the other half is a really big gun.

mark71
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Posted 06/02/07 - 12:50 AM:	#220
Whether the general mass of humanity should rule itself, or should be ruled by the elite. in the past has not shown either to be able to do so...perhaps that is why Jesus will come and be the King of kings and of all
http://24isaiah.net/Lord-Will-Destroy-America.htm

philosofear
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Posted 06/18/07 - 10:59 AM:	#221
I would like to have a debate on the existence of angels or demons: I would be supporting the negative.
"The unexamined life is not worth living" -Socrates

Tisthammerw
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Posted 06/23/07 - 07:43 AM:	#222
philosofear wrote: I would like to have a debate on the existence of angels or demons: I would be supporting the negative. This seems more like religion than philosophy. Of course, there is always philosophy of religion, e.g. that objective moral values are evidence for the existence of God. (I for instance would be willing to argue that they do constitute such evidence.)
Knowing is half the battle; the other half is a really big gun.

PhilipF
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Posted 08/25/07 - 02:44 AM:

#223

In medieval philosophy there are plenty of non-religious, philosophical arguments for the existence of angels

e.g Aquinas "whatever sort of thing has imperfect instances must also have perfect ones so there must exist perfect instances of intelligence not needing to acquire knowledge from the world of the senses and so not needing material bodies, these we call angels."

This was a development of Aristotle's 'hylomorphism" which could be used to allege the necessity for the existence of beings who were an example of pure form without matter.

There are other arguments e.g. those which centre on the necessity to have a complete chain of being in which man is intermediate between animals and god. Therefore there must be other beings intermediate between man and god to make creation complete. In this world view, the celestial spheres must have their inhabitants as the land, sea and air all have creatures appropriate to those elements.

All these arguments can be made logically consistent though their premises may be strange to us.

I still think it is a worthy topic for debate.

Philip

DMR
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Posted 09/25/07 - 02:37 AM:	#224
nawitus wrote: I can debate following: Strong AI is possible. I would be willing to debate this, taking the negative. I will be Tisthammerw's alternate if necessary. EDIT: Other debating topics I am interested in, with positions: Whether mind is a distinct substance from body. (no it isn't) Whether homosexuality is ethical. (yes it is) Whether abortion is ethical. (yes it is) Whether happiness of the individual should be the chief goal of ethics. (yes, it should be) Whether cloning humans is ethical. (yes it is) Whether God exists. (no) Whether religion is a positive social institution. (no) Whether the atheistic or the agnostic position is more tenable. (atheist) Whether capital punishment is a just social institution. (yes) Whether capitalism is a just socio-economic model. (yes) Whether affirmative action is a just social institution. (no) Whether illegal drugs should be made legal. (yes) Whether the state should provide universal healthcare. (no) Whether the concerns of the individual should take precedence over the concerns of the many. (yes) Whether mandatory military service would be worthwhile. (no) Edited by DMR on 09/25/07 - 02:47 AM

andrew17
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Posted 09/27/07 - 04:48 PM:	#225
I'd be intrested in debating some of those however I agree with you on almost all of them and the ones I don't I'm not really intested in or knowledgable enough.

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