Topic Ideas
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Randy Drew
Oct 18, 2009, 8:00:14 PM10/18/09
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
Hello Everyone:
At next weekend's business meeting, we will be putting together the
topics for the rest of the debates this year (except for the Christmas
Debate). If you have an idea that you would like to see the
Philodemic discuss, post it here. We will bring a list of proposed
topics to continue brainstorming at the meeting.
Thanks,
Randy
At next weekend's business meeting, we will be putting together the
topics for the rest of the debates this year (except for the Christmas
Debate). If you have an idea that you would like to see the
Philodemic discuss, post it here. We will bring a list of proposed
topics to continue brainstorming at the meeting.
Thanks,
Randy
Will Downes
Oct 19, 2009, 11:11:43 AM10/19/09
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
-Mortality does more harm than good.
-Robert E. Lee was a great American
-Video games harm society.
-John Adams had a greater impact on the American Republic than Thomas
Jefferson.
-Robert E. Lee was a great American
-Video games harm society.
-John Adams had a greater impact on the American Republic than Thomas
Jefferson.
Dustin Walker
Oct 19, 2009, 12:03:47 PM10/19/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
The freedom of speech is absolute.
Dustin Walker
Oct 19, 2009, 1:26:31 PM10/19/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
That the states ought to legalize gay marriage.
Ohm Gore
Oct 19, 2009, 2:23:24 PM10/19/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
-Marriage is an institution properly left to religious authorities.
-The American Civil War did more harm than good.
-Affirmative action programs do more harm than good.
-The District of Columbia should be a State of the United States.
-The American Civil War did more harm than good.
-Affirmative action programs do more harm than good.
-The District of Columbia should be a State of the United States.
Rahul Xavier Singh
Oct 19, 2009, 8:48:24 PM10/19/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
I favor the following:
-John Adams had a greater impact on the American Republic than Thomas Jefferson.
-The freedom of speech is absolute.
-The District of Columbia should be a State of the United States
Rahul Singh
1403 1/2 30th St NW, Suite 3
Washington, D.C. 20007
h 202.905.2818
c 202.390.9200
s mr.rahul.singh
http://tungle.me/singh
-John Adams had a greater impact on the American Republic than Thomas Jefferson.
-The District of Columbia should be a State of the United States
1403 1/2 30th St NW, Suite 3
Washington, D.C. 20007
h 202.905.2818
c 202.390.9200
s mr.rahul.singh
http://tungle.me/singh
Matt Cantirino
Oct 19, 2009, 11:44:52 PM10/19/09
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
Apparently I’m on some kind of Luddite kick…
Resolved: Developing nations ought to promote economic growth at the
expense of the environment.
Resolved: The automobile has done more harm than good. [I’d prefer
“the automobile has killed civil society,” but this takes pollution,
labor, and other things into account too]
Resolved: Art is irrelevant to modern society.
Resolved: Libraries are anachronisms.
Resolved: Martin Luther did more harm than good.
Resolved: Hamlet was mad. [or some other well-known literature
debate?]
Resolved: Developing nations ought to promote economic growth at the
expense of the environment.
Resolved: The automobile has done more harm than good. [I’d prefer
“the automobile has killed civil society,” but this takes pollution,
labor, and other things into account too]
Resolved: Art is irrelevant to modern society.
Resolved: Libraries are anachronisms.
Resolved: Martin Luther did more harm than good.
Resolved: Hamlet was mad. [or some other well-known literature
debate?]
Randy Drew
Oct 20, 2009, 7:11:17 AM10/20/09
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
A few more ideas, including some from the last business meeting:
Various International Relations:
Resolved: India is a stronger nation than China
Resolved: Saudi Arabia is a greater threat to world peace than Iran
Resolved: Economic Development is more important than Democracy
US foreign policy:
Resolved: The United States should Promote Democracy Abroad
Resolved: The United States should Promote Religious Freedom Abroad
Resolved: The United States should Pursue Regime Change in Iran
Resolved: The US should send more troops to Afghanistan
US Domestic Politics:
Resolved: Sarah Palin has done more Harm than Good
Resolved: The Republican Party is Dying
Resolved: The United States should Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment
Literature/Culture/History:
Resolved: The Islamic Caliphates were more civilized than the Roman
Empire
Resolved: Huckleberry Finn is the Greatest American Novel
Resolved: Holden Caulfield is a Hero
Resolved: Children receive a better education now than 50 years ago
Georgetown:
Resolved: Georgetown is a Great University
Resolved: Georgetown provides a better education now than 50 years ago
Various International Relations:
Resolved: India is a stronger nation than China
Resolved: Saudi Arabia is a greater threat to world peace than Iran
Resolved: Economic Development is more important than Democracy
US foreign policy:
Resolved: The United States should Promote Democracy Abroad
Resolved: The United States should Promote Religious Freedom Abroad
Resolved: The United States should Pursue Regime Change in Iran
Resolved: The US should send more troops to Afghanistan
US Domestic Politics:
Resolved: Sarah Palin has done more Harm than Good
Resolved: The Republican Party is Dying
Resolved: The United States should Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment
Literature/Culture/History:
Resolved: The Islamic Caliphates were more civilized than the Roman
Empire
Resolved: Huckleberry Finn is the Greatest American Novel
Resolved: Holden Caulfield is a Hero
Resolved: Children receive a better education now than 50 years ago
Georgetown:
Resolved: Georgetown is a Great University
Resolved: Georgetown provides a better education now than 50 years ago
Brendan
Oct 20, 2009, 8:28:46 AM10/20/09
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
Resolved: Russia is not a European nation.
Russia has been unjustly neglected by the Society for some time now.
It is still a major world political player and, arguably, a major part
of the cultural inheritance of the Western world. One need only think
of Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gorky,
Bely, Blok, Yesenin, Bulgakov, Repin, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov,
Mussorgsky -- the list goes on and on. It's time for us to debate the
question that the Russians have themselves been pondering for the past
two centuries.
Resolved: History is but a graveyard of aristocracies.
The quotation comes from Vilfredo Pareto. The question behind it is,
basically, who makes history? Is the proper subject of historical
study "the masses," i.e. ordinary people, or "the elites," i.e. those
who happen to be in power at any one moment? As Pareto saw it, the
answer was the latter: history is a cycle of elites rising to power,
becoming corrupt and decadent, and being overthrown in turn by new
elites. This is a very rich question for the Society to debate.
Russia has been unjustly neglected by the Society for some time now.
It is still a major world political player and, arguably, a major part
of the cultural inheritance of the Western world. One need only think
of Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gorky,
Bely, Blok, Yesenin, Bulgakov, Repin, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov,
Mussorgsky -- the list goes on and on. It's time for us to debate the
question that the Russians have themselves been pondering for the past
two centuries.
Resolved: History is but a graveyard of aristocracies.
The quotation comes from Vilfredo Pareto. The question behind it is,
basically, who makes history? Is the proper subject of historical
study "the masses," i.e. ordinary people, or "the elites," i.e. those
who happen to be in power at any one moment? As Pareto saw it, the
answer was the latter: history is a cycle of elites rising to power,
becoming corrupt and decadent, and being overthrown in turn by new
elites. This is a very rich question for the Society to debate.
Tyler Hale
Oct 20, 2009, 9:50:26 PM10/20/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
Stream-of-consciousness-topic-flow-and-hustle-hollaback:
Resolved: History is just one one damn thing after another
Resolved: Circles are superior to squares
Resolved: There Goes Old Georgetown
Resolved: Culture has agency in world history
Resolved: Immoral books exist
Resolved: Theocracies have done more harm than good
Resolved: There is a moral imperative to preserve the environment
Resolved: Eden existed
Resolved: Metaphysics is illusory
Resolved: The singularity is approaching
Resolved: Egalitarianism has killed teleology
Resolved: Form follows function
Resolved: Multiculturalism is inherently good for society
Resolved: Capitalism and egalitarianism are compatible goals
Resolved: The wreck of the Titanic had a greater impact than the wreck of the Hindenburg
Resolved: Artistic production is the noblest pursuit of the mind
Resolved: The death of the priestly caste has been beneficial for society
Resolved: 
Resolved: Notre Dame is the Great American Catholic University
Resolved: The National Parks are antithetical to the American capitalist tradition
Resolved: Sacagewea was more important than the Navajo Windtalkers
Resolved: The United States should remove the One Dollar Bill from circulation
Resolved: The United States should demonetize the penny
Resolved: Mo' money, mo' problems
Resolved: She's just being Miley
Resolved: Technocracy is incompatible with Democracy
Resolved: Han shot first
Resolved: Lady Macbeth is a stronger character than Portia, wife of Brutus
Resolved: Tristram Shandy is the first postmodern novel
Resolved: Google should be permitted to digitize all books
Resolved: The denial of language is the greatest form of tyranny
Resolved: Monarchy is compatible with liberalism
Resolved: Plies is everything the aristocracy feared
Resolved: Tyler should write his paper now
Unilaterally affirming that last one.
Dustin Walker
Oct 20, 2009, 11:45:49 PM10/20/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
Resolved: Size matters.
Resolved: Baseball is superior to football.
Resolved: American popular culture is in a state of decline.
Resolved: Katy Perry is superior to Taylor Swift.
Resolved: Lady GaGa should be executed.
Resolved: God is not great.
Resolved: Disney is racist (as hell).
Resolved: Rose let go. (Titanic sucks and you all know it)
Dustin
Resolved: Baseball is superior to football.
Resolved: American popular culture is in a state of decline.
Resolved: Katy Perry is superior to Taylor Swift.
Resolved: Lady GaGa should be executed.
Resolved: God is not great.
Resolved: Disney is racist (as hell).
Resolved: Rose let go. (Titanic sucks and you all know it)
Dustin
Amy Fenstermacher
Oct 20, 2009, 11:48:49 PM10/20/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
Hahahahaa YES TO ALL
Brendan McElroy
Oct 21, 2009, 9:40:31 AM10/21/09
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
A few historical debates:
Resolved: The regime of V. I. Lenin did less harm than that of
Nicholas II. (Originally proposed by Nick Myers.)
Resolved: The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disaster for the
United States.
Resolved: The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was not harsh enough.
And two philosophical debates:
Resolved: Metaphysics is impossible.
This debate pits traditional metaphysics against modern philosophy,
beginning with Kant. The question: Is it possible to know anything
about the supersensible world, or, for that matter, whether or not a
supersensible world exists?
Resolved: Reason is the one secure foundation for morality.
Can morality be founded on anything more secure, and less contingent,
than the particularities of human nature? Even Hume, who emphatically
answered No, regretted the inescapable conclusion of his reasoning:
that “since Morality…is determin’d merely by Sentiment, it regards
only human Nature & human Life.” The affirmation must affirm a
rationalist conception of morality, while the negation may counter
with a variety of competing perspectives: voluntarism, “moral
sentiment” theories, emotivism.
Resolved: The regime of V. I. Lenin did less harm than that of
Nicholas II. (Originally proposed by Nick Myers.)
Resolved: The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disaster for the
United States.
Resolved: The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was not harsh enough.
And two philosophical debates:
Resolved: Metaphysics is impossible.
This debate pits traditional metaphysics against modern philosophy,
beginning with Kant. The question: Is it possible to know anything
about the supersensible world, or, for that matter, whether or not a
supersensible world exists?
Resolved: Reason is the one secure foundation for morality.
Can morality be founded on anything more secure, and less contingent,
than the particularities of human nature? Even Hume, who emphatically
answered No, regretted the inescapable conclusion of his reasoning:
that “since Morality…is determin’d merely by Sentiment, it regards
only human Nature & human Life.” The affirmation must affirm a
rationalist conception of morality, while the negation may counter
with a variety of competing perspectives: voluntarism, “moral
sentiment” theories, emotivism.
Adam Yoran
Oct 21, 2009, 7:00:02 PM10/21/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
Resolved: The World is Flat (In a Thomas Friedman Sort of Way, unless you want to start arguing as an ignorant 15th century European)
Will Downes
Oct 21, 2009, 8:38:43 PM10/21/09
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
A literature debate of sorts.
"The Lorax is a hero."
Brings up questions about whether freedom is based on nonintervention
or nondenomination, whether it is desirable to impede "progress" and
whether moral suasion is the most efficient or ethical means towards
social change.
"The Lorax is a hero."
Brings up questions about whether freedom is based on nonintervention
or nondenomination, whether it is desirable to impede "progress" and
whether moral suasion is the most efficient or ethical means towards
social change.
Ohm Gore
Oct 21, 2009, 10:23:17 PM10/21/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
Four quotations that might make good resolutions:
-There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.
-Patriotism is loyalty to a principle, not a state.
-Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.
-Faith is not contrary to reason.
-There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.
-Patriotism is loyalty to a principle, not a state.
-Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.
-Faith is not contrary to reason.
On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 2:23 PM, Ohm Gore <o...@georgetown.edu> wrote:
Dustin Walker
Oct 22, 2009, 10:24:32 AM10/22/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
Now's the time to reintroduce the fire into these resolutions, make them current, hard-hitting, divisive, and relevant to students on campus!
The presidency of Barack Obama thus far has been a failure.
President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
Affirmative action does more harm than good.
The death penalty should be abolished.
The states should legalize gay marriage.
The War on Terror has been a failure.
And I think we don't just need one of these, we need a couple of them. We need to get some exciting topics out there that will get people thinking and put up our best keynoters to finish out this semester.
Rule of thumb:
If you have to explain a topic, then it's not going to sell on campus. We're automatically at a deficit when we pick topics that are esoteric to the point of being obtuse and unclear.
Moreover, I urge everyone to begin actively selling the Society on campus. I am going to start putting the emails out on Sunday or Monday. During the week, tell your friends to come!!!!
Dustin
The presidency of Barack Obama thus far has been a failure.
President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
Affirmative action does more harm than good.
The death penalty should be abolished.
The states should legalize gay marriage.
The War on Terror has been a failure.
And I think we don't just need one of these, we need a couple of them. We need to get some exciting topics out there that will get people thinking and put up our best keynoters to finish out this semester.
Rule of thumb:
If you have to explain a topic, then it's not going to sell on campus. We're automatically at a deficit when we pick topics that are esoteric to the point of being obtuse and unclear.
Moreover, I urge everyone to begin actively selling the Society on campus. I am going to start putting the emails out on Sunday or Monday. During the week, tell your friends to come!!!!
Dustin
Rahul Xavier Singh
Oct 22, 2009, 11:27:18 PM10/22/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
On Ideas
- Faith is not equivalent to Virtue
On Occupation and Vocation
- It is better to be a Farmer than to be a Sailor
- Teachers' salaries should be based on Performance
On Education
- Ethics should be taught in Elementary School
- Faith is not equivalent to Virtue
On Occupation and Vocation
- It is better to be a Farmer than to be a Sailor
- Teachers' salaries should be based on Performance
On Education
- Ethics should be taught in Elementary School
- Children should Choose their Schooling after Middle School
- Fraternities/Societies are good for Colleges
On Society
- Mars, not the Moon not should be Humanity's Next Step
- Humanity Seeks to Benefit from Universal Internet
- Educating the Masses is Superior to Feeding the Hungry
- Humanity will never free itself from Money/Currency
On Society
- Mars, not the Moon not should be Humanity's Next Step
- Humanity Seeks to Benefit from Universal Internet
- Educating the Masses is Superior to Feeding the Hungry
- Humanity will never free itself from Money/Currency
Will Downes
Oct 23, 2009, 2:58:22 AM10/23/09
to The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
Literature debate:
Ismene is more virtuous than Antigone.
alternatively
Creon is more virtuous than Antigone.
Ismene is more virtuous than Antigone.
alternatively
Creon is more virtuous than Antigone.
Joe McReynolds
Oct 23, 2009, 2:51:42 AM10/23/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
"It is better to be a Farmer than to be a Sailor"
Switch this from "better" to "more virtuous" or some similar wording so that you're not going back and forth endlessly over which job simply involves more backbreaking toil, and this could be a really wonderful debate.
Rahul Xavier Singh
Oct 23, 2009, 10:53:47 AM10/23/09
to philodem...@googlegroups.com
I agree.
Rahul Singh
1403 1/2 30th St NW, Suite 3
Washington, D.C. 20007
h 202.905.2818
c 202.390.9200
s mr.rahul.singh
http://tungle.me/singh
Re submitting for consideration.
"It is more virtuous to be a Farmer than to be a Sailor"
Rahul Singh
1403 1/2 30th St NW, Suite 3
Washington, D.C. 20007
h 202.905.2818
c 202.390.9200
s mr.rahul.singh
http://tungle.me/singh
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