Proposals for Debate Resolutions for Business Meeting - Friday October 29, 4:00 PM - ICC 2nd Fl

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Nick Iacono

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Oct 24, 2010, 12:34:32 PM10/24/10
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
Philodemicians and friends of the Philodemic,

Please use this thread to submit your proposals for resolutions that
you would like to see for the next round of debates. These proposals
will be compiled and presented for consideration at the 
next Society
Business Meeting this Friday, October 29, 4:00 PM - ICC 2nd 
fl.
Please endeavor to submit resolutions that will foster creative,
original, 
accessible, and stimulating debate.

Yours truly,
Nick

Sean Rosenthal

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Oct 24, 2010, 6:43:07 PM10/24/10
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I did my best to cluster them in similar groups, but some of the
groupings are pretty arbitrary.
Resolved:

Rorschach is crazy.
Frankenstein should have made a mate for his monster.
Javert is just/was justified.
Mr. Smith represents an ideal American politician (wording might be a
little stronger than desired, but probably clear).

America is an empire.
The coup of Iranian Prime Minister Mosaddegh was justified.
Iran poses a significant threat to American security.
American support for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan was justified (or
did more harm than good).

The French Revolution represented liberty.
For China, Mao Zedong did more harm than good.
Domestic, and not foreign, factors predominately caused the fall of
the Soviet Union. (might be a good topic for "Whether" instead of
resolved).

Democracy is an end in and of itself.
Justice is fairness.
Hobbes depicts the state of nature better than Locke.
Affirmative action creates a more just distribution among people.

The House of Representatives should be elected proportionally
nationwide.
President Obama represents a substantial "change" from his
predecessor.
Senator Joseph McCarthy was justified.
The Patriot Act should be repealed.
America should discontinue employing capital punishment.
Polygamy should be legal for religious purposes.
Burning the American flag should be illegal in America.
Alexander Hamilton represents modern American values more than Thomas
Jefferson.
Both America and Europe should stop subsidizing agriculture.

The Department of Education should be abolished.
Public schools should teach ethical values.
Public schools should be allowed to teach intelligent design.

Slavery was the primary reason for the American civil war.
In antebellum America, the South believed in Christian values.
In antebellum America, slavery was a necessary evil.

In the book of job, God is unjust (similar alternative: Job should
have cursed God).
Humanity deserved God's response to the Tower of Babel.
Religion is the opiate of the people.
Religions must be old to be legitimate.

Tyler Hale

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Oct 24, 2010, 7:01:46 PM10/24/10
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Resolved:
"What rocks, officer?"
DMT is more highbrow than meth.
John Romano, and not Charlie Smith, is the greater Georgetown drug kingpin.
Harbin cooks better than Leo's.
Juggalo Todd Olsen, and not King of Georgetown, is the greater Georgetown Internet Celebrity.

&c.

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Jonathan Berryman

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Oct 24, 2010, 7:15:06 PM10/24/10
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Resolved:
God exists.
Theology is the study of nothing.
The rent is too damn high.

dwa...@gmail.com

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Oct 24, 2010, 7:23:41 PM10/24/10
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Before we heed "god exists," which is impossible and has failed massively before on the floor of the philodemic, I would recommend other topics in the religious vein.

God is good.
The Book of Leviticus is a moral text.
Organized religion does more harm than good.
America is a Christian nation.

Dustin

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry


From: Jonathan Berryman <jberr...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:15:06 -0400
Subject: Re: [Philodemic Society] Re: Proposals for Debate Resolutions for Business Meeting - Friday October 29, 4:00 PM - ICC 2nd Fl

Ohm Gore

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Oct 24, 2010, 7:30:42 PM10/24/10
to philodem...@googlegroups.com, Ohm Gore
In the vein of "The rent is too damn high," I can't think of a wording for this, but we might do a debate about the proper end of government.  The TRITDH guy's speeches, while awkward and weird, have a common message:  government should actively engage in making it easier to live on lower wages/salaries.  In particular, he mentions ensuring children have healthy food and enough to eat (government food programs, food stamps/cash transfers, subsidized meals at certain locations like a soup kitchen, etc.) and workers never have to struggle with rents (rent controls/price ceilings, rent subsidies for certain income brackets, general welfare payments, etc.).

Can someone help me refine this into a topic about government's end?  Thanks!

Jonathan Berryman

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Oct 24, 2010, 7:52:08 PM10/24/10
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Perhaps this could work?

Resolved: America should increase the scope of its welfare state.

Also, on the "god exists" point, I was not aware of the resolution's previous failure. However, while "organized religion does more harm than good" is a fascinating topic and worthy substitute, it is almost verbatim the most recent topic of an Economist online debate, and so should not be used for a few weeks (until the stock arguments of Oppenheimer and Harris have had a chance to leave our minds).

Rahul Xavier Singh

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Oct 24, 2010, 8:06:38 PM10/24/10
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Resolved: Death is better than a life enslaved.


Rahul Singh | Internet Architect

To empower people through the Internet to create a better world.

Anant | http://anant.us
1403 1/2 30th St NW, Suite 3
Washington, D.C. 20007

o 202.905.2818 | m 202.390.9200
s mr.rahul.singh

Silvio

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Oct 24, 2010, 8:29:42 PM10/24/10
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Resolved:

1. America should push its students towards the hard sciences.
2. Most kisses begin with rum, not Kay.


On Oct 24, 7:52 pm, Jonathan Berryman <jberryma...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Perhaps this could work?
>
> Resolved: America should increase the scope of its welfare state.
>
> Also, on the "god exists" point, I was not aware of the resolution's
> previous failure. However, while "organized religion does more harm than
> good" is a fascinating topic and worthy substitute, it is almost verbatim
> the most recent topic of an Economist online debate, and so should not be
> used for a few weeks (until the stock arguments of Oppenheimer and Harris
> have had a chance to leave our minds).
>
>
>
> On Sun, Oct 24, 2010 at 7:30 PM, Ohm Gore <ohm.j.g...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > In the vein of "The rent is too damn high," I can't think of a wording for
> > this, but we might do a debate about the proper end of government.  The
> > TRITDH guy's speeches, while awkward and weird, have a common message:
> > government should actively engage in making it easier to live on lower
> > wages/salaries.  In particular, he mentions ensuring children have healthy
> > food and enough to eat (government food programs, food stamps/cash
> > transfers, subsidized meals at certain locations like a soup kitchen, etc.)
> > and workers never have to struggle with rents (rent controls/price ceilings,
> > rent subsidies for certain income brackets, general welfare payments, etc.).
>
> > Can someone help me refine this into a topic about government's end?
> > Thanks!
>
> > On Sun, Oct 24, 2010 at 7:23 PM, <dwal...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> Before we heed "god exists," which is impossible and has failed massively
> >> before on the floor of the philodemic, I would recommend other topics in the
> >> religious vein.
>
> >> God is good.
> >> The Book of Leviticus is a moral text.
> >> Organized religion does more harm than good.
> >> America is a Christian nation.
>
> >> Dustin
>
> >> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
> >> ------------------------------
> >> *From: * Jonathan Berryman <jberryma...@gmail.com>
> >> *Sender: * philodem...@googlegroups.com
> >> *Date: *Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:15:06 -0400
> >> *To: *<philodem...@googlegroups.com>
> >> *ReplyTo: * philodem...@googlegroups.com
> >> *Subject: *Re: [Philodemic Society] Re: Proposals for Debate Resolutions
> >> for Business Meeting - Friday October 29, 4:00 PM - ICC 2nd Fl
>
> >> Resolved:
> >> God exists.
> >> Theology is the study of nothing.
> >> The rent is too damn high.
>
> >>>> philodemicsoci...@googlegroups.com<philodemicsociety%2Bunsubscr i...@googlegroups.com>
> >>>> .
> >>>> For more options, visit this group at
> >>>>http://groups.google.com/group/philodemicsociety?hl=en.
>
> >>>  --
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Alex Henderson

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Oct 25, 2010, 11:00:59 AM10/25/10
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Priests who have molested children should be excommunicated from the church and submitted to proper trial before a court of law, not rushed off to the Vatican or Latin America to escape from charges.

Boromir was the noblest man in the War of the Ring.

Iago is a modern hero.

It is wrong to pay for sex.

The democratic man is a slave to fashion and the praise of the crowd.

Human happiness, not freedom, should be the prime mover of politics.

Six resolution proposals is better than forty-two.

Regards,

-Alex


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Richard Rinaldi

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Oct 25, 2010, 11:32:39 AM10/25/10
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A few resolutions. This is exciting!

Resolved: Romeo and Juliet were in love. [Stolen from someone from
last business meeting but I really like it]
Resolved: Titania, not Oberon, has more influence over the kingdom of
faeries.
Resolved: Lady Macbeth and not the Three Witches contributed more to
Macbeth's tragic end.

Resolved: Facebook does more harm than good.
Resolved: Laptops should be banned from classrooms.

Resolved: Neuroscience and not philosophy offers more insight into
humanity.

Nick Iacono

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Oct 25, 2010, 12:36:36 PM10/25/10
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Resolved: Multiculturalism has failed.

Resolved: Georgetown’s reputation has been permanently tarnished.

Resolved: The firing of NPR’s Juan Williams was justified.

Resolved: Political correctness is a threat to national security

In keeping with the Shakespeare themes:

Resolved: Iago and not Cassius is the greater Shakespearean
manipulator.

Resolved: Iago and not Lady Macbeth is the greater Shakespearean
manipulator.





On Oct 25, 11:32 am, Richard Rinaldi <richard.rina...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Nick Iacono

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Oct 25, 2010, 1:01:56 PM10/25/10
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Perhaps:

Resolved: Unbounded political correctness can threaten national
security

a little less inflammatory
> ...
>
> read more »

Will Downes

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Oct 25, 2010, 9:52:52 PM10/25/10
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The Internet is a detriment to society.
Democracy cannot be a universal system of government.
Honor has no place in modern society.
NATO should be disbanded
The United Kingdom should withdraw from the EU.

Whether David Cameron, Ed Miliband or Nick Clegg should control the
next parliament.

Drew Nathaniel Peterson

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Oct 25, 2010, 8:19:53 PM10/25/10
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Hello Philodemicians,

I'm going to chime in from my post as a crazy, old alumnus.

I have long felt that a debate about the important questions that are often crudely lumped into the vernacular shorthand term "political correctness" holds tremendous potential for the Philodemic. To use the term "political correctness" in the resolution, however, as many have proposed for years now, would condemn the debate to discursive navel-gazing. What is "political correctness," exactly? The derogatory use of the term "PC" is generally directed at leftists today, but can there not be "political correctness" of the right, as well? As such, if the debate centers on the nebulous phenomenon dubbed "political correctness," it will be an abject failure. If the debate concerns one of the many, weighty theoretical issues or current events that tends to be amalgamated into the term "PC" itself, then the likelihood of a spectacular and worthwhile debate is much greater.

If the Society wants to have a genuine debate about the theoretical commitments at stake in "political correctness," it should consider resolutions along the following lines:

Resolved: All speech deserves equal protection.
Resolved: Individual rights, not group rights, are the foundation of liberal democracy.
Resolved: Anti-discrimination laws should protect all individuals equally, regardless of their membership in a minority or majority.
Resolved: It is (not) justified that a crime be more harshly punished on account of the victim's identity.
Resolved: It is (not) justified that a crime be more harshly punished because it was motivated by identity-based hatred.
Resolved: It is more/less dangerous for the state to police conscience than to permit the expression of truly dangerous ideas.
Resolved: Liberal democracy cannot survive if it tolerates illiberal expression.
Resolved: Moral relativism is incompatible with liberal democracy.
Resolved: Moral relativism renders liberal democracy incapable of defending itself.
Resolved: Human actions, and not ideas, are the wellspring of danger in a liberal society.
Resolved: Ideology and action are inseparable.
Resolved: To think is to act.
Resolved: To speak is to act.
Resolved: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Resolved: Those who trade essential liberty for temporary security shall deserve neither and lose both.

Alternatively, there are some potentially hard-hitting debates on recent events relevant to the theoretical questions outlined above:

Resolved: Acquit Geert Wilders.
Resolved: The firing of NPR’s Juan Williams was justified. (As Nick formulated quite nicely).
Resolved: Until Molly Norris can live peacefully under her own name, America is neither safe nor free.
Resolved: President Obama was right to dismiss General McChrystal.
Resolved: Sometimes a rope is just a rope.

Well there you have my two cents (perhaps my dime) concerning debates that touch on the various questions and commitments at stake in the popular term "political correctness." You may take them or leave them, as I'm just a crazy, old alumnus now and have no direct say in what the Society debates.

Hoya Saxa,

DNP


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--
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A.M. Candidate, Class of 2012
Regional Studies- Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Harvard University

(c) 802-770-8286
dnpe...@fas.harvard.edu
peter...@state.gov
dn...@georgetown.edu

Nick Iacono

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Oct 25, 2010, 10:25:34 PM10/25/10
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Thank you Drew, that was insightful and those are much better ways to
go about it...I see what you're saying.

On Oct 25, 8:19 pm, Drew Nathaniel Peterson <d...@georgetown.edu>
wrote:
> ...
>
> read more »

Jon Askonas

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Oct 26, 2010, 9:16:38 AM10/26/10
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Soft Power is superior to Hard Power
Naturalism opposes Liberal Democracy
Democracy leads to Tyranny
Virtue sustains the Republic
Stalin did more harm than Hitler

Aaron Burr was justified
Congress should legalize DMT
Harbin Hall, and not the Reiss building, is the center of science at
Georgetown
> ...
>
> read more »

Emma Green

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Oct 26, 2010, 9:29:22 PM10/26/10
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Science is incompatible with mystery.
Pluralism is not a virtue.
Christine O'Donnell represents the failure of modern American
politics.
The Tea Party is anti-meritocratic.
America is a meritocracy.
Plato deserves his spot in the Inferno.
Art is useless.

...And I mean all of those seriously. Too bad that when Christine
O'Donnell doesn't get elected (fingers crossed), that topic will no
longer have relevance.

Also, shout out to the Facebook resolution. Bring it back.

With delight for the Fall,
Emma

Brian Harbour

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Oct 26, 2010, 10:49:40 PM10/26/10
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We actually debated "God exists" in Winter 2007 and it was pretty
good. Had a great turnout too. You guys may find various similar ways
of debating it. Of course that was long ago when all of you were in
high school, I was scared of the old people running the Philodemic,
and the economy was doing great.

My best to everyone,
Brian

On Oct 24, 7:23 pm, dwal...@gmail.com wrote:
> Before we heed "god exists," which is impossible and has failed massively before on the floor of the philodemic, I would recommend other topics in the religious vein.
>
> God is good.
> The Book of Leviticus is a moral text.
> Organized religion does more harm than good.
> America is a Christian nation.
>
> Dustin
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jonathan Berryman <jberryma...@gmail.com>
>
> Sender: philodem...@googlegroups.com
> Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:15:06
> To: <philodem...@googlegroups.com>
> Reply-To: philodem...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Philodemic Society] Re: Proposals for Debate Resolutions for
>  Business Meeting - Friday October 29, 4:00 PM - ICC 2nd Fl
>
> Resolved:
> God exists.
> Theology is the study of nothing.
> The rent is too damn high.
>
> On Sun, Oct 24, 2010 at 7:01 PM, Tyler Hale <tyle...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Resolved:
> > "What rocks, officer?"
> > DMT is more highbrow than meth.
> > John Romano, and not Charlie Smith, is the greater Georgetown drug kingpin.
> > Harbin cooks better than Leo's.
> > Juggalo Todd Olsen, and not King of Georgetown, is the greater Georgetown
> > Internet Celebrity.
>
> > &c.
>
> > On Sun, Oct 24, 2010 at 6:43 PM, Sean Rosenthal <frighteningf...@gmail.com
> >> philodemicsoci...@googlegroups.com<philodemicsociety%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>
> >> .
> >> For more options, visit this group at
> >>http://groups.google.com/group/philodemicsociety?hl=en.
>
> >  --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University" group.
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> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > philodemicsoci...@googlegroups.com<philodemicsociety%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>
> > .

Nick Greenough

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Oct 27, 2010, 1:47:27 PM10/27/10
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I thought it was a pretty good debate too. It had a huge turn out.
I think we could have done a better job at leveling the playing field of the resolution though.
God Exists is a pretty tough line to take without being wishy washy in how the debate is defined.

Alex Henderson

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Oct 27, 2010, 5:40:02 PM10/27/10
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Diggin the alumni input, thanks for the feedback and history guys, it really helps!

-Alex
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