Resolutions for consideration at the September 4th business meeting

[Richard Rinaldi]

Please post your proposed resolutions here! ELD, Rich

[Sam Dulik]

Resolved: ....

The District of Columbia should become the 51st state.

American liberalism is a failed ideology.

The filibuster is an instrument of democracy.

Free trade is a threat to American prosperity.

The United States would benefit from an Equal Rights Amendment to the
Constitution.

The United States would benefit from a balanced budget amendment tot
the Constitution.

History is moved by ideas.

Art cannot exist for its own sake.

The U.S. Constitution is a living document.

Steve Jobs leaves a greater legacy than does Bill Gates.

Marijuana consumption should be made legal nationally.

The American labor movement is dead.

A gas tax is a necessary element of American energy independence.

The National Labor Relations Board ought to be abolished.

The Environmental Protect Agency ought to be abolished.

The federal Department of Education ought to be abolished.

A child is best raised by a mother and a father.

America is a Christian nation.

FEMA ought to be abolished.

Protecting human rights internationally is in the interests of the
United States.

Authoritarianism is incompatible with economic liberalism.

The Articles of Confederation would have governed America better than
the current Constitution.

British colonialism did more harm than good.

The policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt ended the Great Depression.

The United Nations is a failed institution.


Hope some of these are good. Hola to everyone from Colombia!!

[Katie Murphy]

Resolved: Marriage should be abolished.

[Richard Rinaldi]

To all, the business meeting is SEPTEMBER 9. Please excuse the typo in
the title.

On Sep 5, 9:27 am, Katie Murphy <hoyamu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Resolved: Marriage should be abolished.

[Alex Henderson]

Resolved: The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world.

Warmly,

Alex

On Mon, Sep 5, 2011 at 9:27 AM, Katie Murphy <hoya...@gmail.com> wrote:

Resolved: Marriage should be abolished.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University" group.
To post to this group, send email to philodem...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to philodemicsoci...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/philodemicsociety?hl=en.

[Rahul Xavier Singh]

Resolved: The Un-Enlightened Life is Suffering

Rahul Singh | Internet Architect

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

Anant | http://anant.us
1010 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 250
Washington, D.C. 20007

o 202.905.2818 | m 202.390.9200
s mr.rahul.singh

[Greg Miller]

Resolved: Society today values knowledge more than ideas /or/ Today,
knowledge is more important than ideas

Resolved: Dissent is the highest form of patriotism

Resolved: Science without religion is lame, religion without science
is blind

[Alex Henderson]

Greg,

Could you clarify what you mean by knowledge as opposed to ideas, they are often used as synonyms. It would really help in interpreting your first resolution proposal.

Thanks!

-Alex

[Jonathan Berryman]

In no particular order:

Atheism is the new fundamentalism.

Prometheus should not have given fire to humanity.

The U.S. should cease military aid to Israel.

Group-think is antithetical to intellectualism.

Theology is the study of nothing.

Reason is always the servant of passion.

John Brown was an American hero.

Shylock would have been justified in taking the pound of flesh.

Rhetoric is the catalyst for all human action.

Ceremonial deism is unconstitutional.

Science and religion are non-overlapping magisteria.

[Nick Iacono]

Resolved: The use of the American Armed Forces should require eventual
Congressional approval.
OR
Resolved: The Executive branch should abide by the War Powers
Resolution of 1973.

Resolved: The actions of the Westboro Baptist Church should be
protected speech.
OR
Resolved: The picketing of military funerals should be protected
speech.

Resolved: The intentions of the Framers/Founders should be relevant to
modern lawmaking.

Resolved: The United States should withdraw from Afghanistan.

Resolved: Modern news media does more harm than good.
OR
Resolved: Modern news media degrades American political discourse.

Resolved: Technology has made humanity less free.

[Nick Iacono]

Correction:

Resolved: Modern news media do more harm than good.
OR
Resolved: Modern news media degrade American political discourse.

[Katie Murphy]

And this is why you are President. +5 Powers of Impeccable Grammar.
Also, with regard to the WBC resolution, seems the picketing funerals
is narrower. And is there some kind of legal or nuanced difference
between a normal funeral and a military one?

[Katie Murphy]

I think "Resolved: America is a Christian nation" is an important idea
to be considered, I really like it. I do very much want to hear Sam's
opinion on it, though!

[Stephano Medina]

Really like "Art cannot exist for it's own sake"

[Jon Askonas]

Resolved:

Philosophy:

Justice is more important than peace.

Existence precedes essence. 

Man is what he makes himself

Social inequality is a moral evil.

Patriotism is a virtue.

Theory must derive from experience.

The personal is political

Human rights are artificial

Humanity is becoming more free

International Relations:

American interventions cause more harm than good.

The US should support a two-state solution in Israel.

Religion:

The chief end of man is the glory of God.

St. Paul was a misogynist

Calvin, and not Luther, was the more important reformer.

Luther did more harm than good

History:

Brutus was justified

Lenin did more harm than good

More to come...

[Alex Henderson]

Resolved: If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.

[Tyler Hale]

Do we really have a John Berryman now? If so, then, "Resolved: Life, Friends, Is Boring."

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YUu3L-qGMI )

[Jon Askonas]

A few more

Resolved:

Jephthah's sacrifice of his daughter was justified

Agamemnon's sacrifice of Iphigenia was justified

Georgetown's Catholic characteristics do more harm than good OR

Georgetown should end its ties to the Catholic Church

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Nationalism is obsolete.

[Samuel Biesiada]

Some thoughts for potential debate topics:

Resolved:

The United States is not an Empire

Saudi Arabia is an American Ally

Decolonization did more harm than good

Absolute income is more important than equality

Realpolitik is justified

Pragmatism is superior to ideological purity

Democracy promotion is justified

The United States should adopt a flat income tax rate

The Bahrain intervention was justified (2011 Bahraini/GCC action)

Vladimir Putin is the greatest contemporary statesman

Popular opinion is the only legitimate source of political power

Pre-emptive war is justified

Technology has made warfare more humane

The Vietnam War was justified

General Pinochet did more harm than good

[Rahul Xavier Singh]

Resolved: Gold should be the standard, yet again. 

Rahul Singh | Internet Architect

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

Anant | http://anant.us
1010 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 250
Washington, D.C. 20007

o 202.905.2818 | m 202.390.9200
s mr.rahul.singh

[Michael Manchester]

Yoko Ono caused the downfall of the Beatles

Film is now the most important artistic medium

The U.S. should eliminate federal funding for the arts

The Federal Reserve should be abolished

(Amendment to Berryman's Ceremonial Deism topic):
Civil Religion should be deemed unconstitutional.

Assault weapons should receive 2nd Amendment protection

Personal property should be protected with lethal force

Physics will disprove God

Severus Snape was a hero

(Dean Gordon) Greece vs. Rome: Which Empire was groovier?

[Colleen Wood]

R: The United States should immediately slash its defense budget.

R: Immigrants should assimilate.

R: Women are superior to men.

[Robert Silverstein]

Resolved: Estrella Havisham was not to blame.

Resolved: Obama is a conservative

Resolved: America ought to move to a parliamentary system

Resolved: Hydraulic fracturing is an abomination 

[Richard Rinaldi]

Science is superior to all disciplines.
Reality television does more harm than good. OR Reality TV
documentaries do more harm than good.
Drill, baby, drill.
Lady Gaga has ruined pop culture.
The United States would be better off if John McCain were president.
Intelligent design is legitimate.


On Sep 6, 9:43 pm, Robert Silverstein <rsilverstei...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Matthew Hipple]

Resolved: America would be better off if John McClane were president.
Or
Hans Grubber did more harm than good.