We hear so often about college students going into paroxysms of rage when someone brings up an argument they don’t like that one might wonder if it’s possible to have a rational, non-rancorous debate on any controversial issue.
The good news is that debate is alive and well, perhaps even making a comeback, thanks to a program that sponsors debates on campuses around the country. In today’s Martin Center article, Doug Sprei discusses it.
Sprei writes, “Launched in 2018, the national College Debates and Discourse program is an alliance between Braver Angels, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), and BridgeUSA—organizations that believe in the power of free expression and the respectful exchange of ideas on America’s college campuses. As of this writing at the end of spring semester 2023, the program has launched well over 150 campus and classroom debates, engaging more than 6,000 students across the nation.”
Furthermore, the program aims to encourage faculty members to incorporate debate into their courses. It would be good if students had to be prepared to argue either side of a debate on an array of topics. That could disabuse them of the notion that their beliefs are always right.