Open to Debate

Latest Episodes:

#179 - Is the Defense Production Act Being Underutilized? Apr 24, 2020

Show notes

As health professionals and leaders around the nation rush to procure the supplies Americans need to combat coronavirus, we ask: Is the Defense Production Act being underutilized? This little-known law, which dates back to the Korean War, gives the president vast authority to compel private companies to act in the interest of national defense. While President Trump has invoked the act in recent weeks, many across the nation are calling on his administration to use its powers much more broadly.

Cast Your Vote: https://smarturl.it/DefenseProdAct

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How to Fight an Infodemic Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, the World Health Organization is warning of the spread of something else – an information epidemic or “infodemic.” And while diligent consumers of the news are inundated with stats, graphs, press conferences, and think-pieces, so too are they exposed to dubious data, miscredited quotations, and outright harmful claims. In this episode, John Donvan sits down with two leading experts in the spread of information, journalist and editor-in-chief of PolitiFact Angie Drobnic Holan and computer scientist and associate professor of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington Kate Starbird, for a discussion on how to be discerning communicators during a time of crisis.

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#178 - Does Maximum Pressure Against Iran Work? Mar 20, 2020

Show notes

The targeted killing of General Qassim Suleimani sent shockwaves around the world and sparked staunch debate about the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign. Supporters argue that this strategy, which includes leaving the JCPOA and imposing harsh economic sanctions, will safeguard American interests, quell Tehran's human rights abuses, and halt the state's support of terrorist networks. But opponents see "maximum pressure" as dangerously misguided. They argue that abandoning the hard-fought JCPOA and undermining the Iranian economy has promoted violence, isolated allies, and fueled anti-American sentiment. Is the maximum pressure campaign against Iran working?

Presented in partnership with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University

Motion: The Maximum Pressure Campaign Against Iran Is Working

For the Motion:

Victor Davis Hanson - Military Historian & Author, “The Case for Trump”

H. R. McMaster - Retired Lieutenant General, U.S. Army & Former National Security Advisor

Against the Motion:

Martha Crenshaw - Terrorism Studies Expert & Author, “Explaining Terrorism”

Abbas Milani - Iranian Studies Program Director, Stanford University

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#177 - Is Anti-Zionism the New Anti-Semitism? Mar 06, 2020

Show notes

Zionism, or the belief in the Jewish right to self-determination in the land of Israel, has been the topic of contentious global debate for decades. And while the United States government is making moves to strengthen its special relationship with Israel, such as relocating the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, scrutiny of Israel and its government looms large in American politics. Is it possible to distinguish anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism?

For the Motion:

Bret Stephens - Op-Ed Columnist, New York Times

Einat Wilf - Former Member, Israeli Parliament

Against the Motion:

Peter Beinart - Journalist & Author, “The Crisis of Zionism”

Yousef Munayyer - Executive Director, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights

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#176 - Is the Two-Party System Good for Democracy? Feb 21, 2020

Show notes

As the nation gears up for the 2020 presidential election, we ask: Is the two-party system good for democracy? Does relying on two hugely powerful political bodies drive division and push voters to the extremes? Or does the two-party system moderate the electorate and make the nation governable?

Keynote Conversation:

Joanne Freeman - Professor of History and American Studies, Yale University

For the Motion:

Yascha Mounk - Author, "The People vs. Democracy"

Norman Ornstein - Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

Against the Motion:

Lee Drutman - Author, "Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop"

Katherine Gehl - Entrepreneur & Political Reformer

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#175 - Is it Time to Expand Nuclear Power? Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

For decades, the development of nuclear power has sparked staunch debate among scientists, politicians, and activists alike. Proponents claim that nuclear energy is the most effective way to combat climate change while still meeting the world's growing demand for energy. But its critics argue that expanding nuclear energy is dangerous, costly, and ill-advised. Should nuclear energy fuel our future?

Keynote Conversation:

Bill Nye - Scientist and CEO of the Planetary Society

For the Motion:

Kirsty Gogan - Co-founder and Executive Director of Energy for Humanity

Daniel Poneman - Former Deputy Secretary of Energy

Against the Motion:

Gregory B. Jaczko - Former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Arjun Makhijani - President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research

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Ezra Klein on Why We're Polarized Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

Is the American political system broken? In his new book, Ezra Klein argues that the system isn't malfunctioning, it's doing exactly what it was designed to accomplish. In this special episode of Discourse Disrupters, John Donvan sits down with one of the nation's most prominent political journalists to ask one critical question: Why are we polarized?

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Bonus Episode: Can Progressives Save Capitalism? Jan 10, 2020

Show notes

Does capitalism need saving? In this special episode, Intelligence Squared partners with Foreign Affairs to take a nuanced look at the state of the capitalism debate in America, and the potential problems facing our economic system. Joining host John Donvan is Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz with recent Intelligence Squared alum and Reason editor-in-chief Katherine Mangu-Ward.

A message from our sponsors: Watch or listen to Argumentation – and any of The Great Courses Plus’ thousands of lectures - Free for an Entire Month! Get started nowthegreatcoursesplus.com/DEBATE

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#97 - Should We Legalize Assisted Suicide? Dec 27, 2019

Show notes

Now legal in nine U.S. states and the District of Columbia, physician-assisted suicide has a growing contingency that want to legalize the practice. Will these laws lead to a slippery slope, where the vulnerable are pressured to choose death and human life is devalued? Or do we need to recognize everyone’s basic right to autonomy, the right to end pain and suffering, and the right to choose to die with dignity?

FOR THE MOTION:

Peter Singer - Philosopher & Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University

Andrew Solomon - Author, "Far From the Tree" & Prof. of Clinical Psychology, Columbia University

AGAINST THE MOTION:

Baroness Ilora Finlay - President, British Medical Association & Member, House of Lords

Dr. Daniel Sulmasy - Prof. of Medicine and Ethics, University of Chicago & Member, Presidential Bioethics Commission

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Bonus Episode: How Do We Make Our Debates Happen? Dec 13, 2019

Show notes

In this special episode of Intelligence Squared U.S., host and moderator John Donvan sits down with our newly appointed CEO Clea Conner to pull back the curtain on how we make our debates, choose debaters, and talk about what happens off the stage.

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