Debate.org: Debates in the Debating Period

3 Items found at Wal Mart that will best kill a velociraptor

2009-11-20T12:42:08-08:00

(Debating Period) Greetings to all. I mean this to be a fun debate. Its goal is clear. What we will do is determine three items found at Wal Mart that would be able to kill a Velociraptor. The scenario is that you (and I) have been trapped by a hungry velociraptor in a closed Wal Mart (with the lights on). One of has has to kill it with our best choices of Wal Mart items. Velocraptor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velociraptor We shall each divulge one idea/item a post. You can have the item stand on its own or you can build a sequence (one item only works when utilized with the next). Plus negate your opponent's item as ridiculous/useless, if capable. The first item that I require is a pet rabbit from the pet's section.

I can not prove that I exist.

2009-11-18T23:59:59-08:00

(Debating Period) My opponent made the claim, "I can not prove that I exist." I would like her to defend this statement. This will be a two round debate, starting in round 2. Round 1 will be used for definitions. Definitions: Exist (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Exist) 1 a : to have real being whether material or spiritual b : to have being in a specified place or with respect to understood limitations or conditions Self 2. The self; the ego. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/I) Prove 1 archaic : to learn or find out by experience 2 a : to test the truth, validity, or genuineness of b : to test the worth or quality of; specifically : to compare against a standard —sometimes used with up or out c : to check the correctness of (as an arithmetic result) 3 a : to establish the existence, truth, or

Logic Analysis: These arguments disprove the existence of God.

2009-11-18T13:48:54-08:00

(Debating Period) I thank my opponent in advance for accepting this debate. Logic is often a poorly used commodity where religion is concerned; whether arguing for or against the supernatural, many fallacious arguments are posited and accepted as truth. I stand against the idea that the spiritual can be proven or disproven by physical evidence, or that any system of reasoning that claims to have answered this question is failsafe. I challenge all reasoners to prove their assertions in formal debate. I contend that the arguments my opponent will post against the existence of God are not logically sound. RESOLUTION: These arguments disprove the existence of God. DEFINITIONS: By accepting this debate, you agree to accept these definitions for this debate. God: the one Supreme Being; perfect, omnipotent, omniscient; the creator and ruler of the universe. His known attributes include goodness, holiness, wisdom, independence from His creation, immanence within His

Candy should be used as a reward for students

2009-11-20T13:33:47-08:00

(Debating Period) First i would like to thank the judges and the pro for doing this debate... First i would like to introduce my points I. Bribes a. Some child development experts also describe rewards and incentives for good behavior as bribes. Dr. Martin E. Ford of Stanford University does not believe parents should offer rewards when a child behaves, "In the short-run, bribes produce a high degree of effort from children, but they can have negative long-term consequences." ["Parent & Child," Lawrence Kutner, The New York Times, 1991] b. Small rewards, such as stickers, can be helpful in teaching young children to complete tasks. These however, can cause dependence on outside motivators rather than learning internal motivation and developing a sense of pride for "a job well done." One drawback to incentive reading is the complaint that students are reading for rewards. They are not being intrinsically motivated to read books on their own or finding the passion for readin

The Existence of God

2009-11-20T11:30:23-08:00

(Debating Period) Definitions God: any of various beings conceived of as supernatural, immortal, and having special powers over the lives and affairs of people and the course of nature; deity, esp. a male deity: typically considered objects of worship; in monotheistic religions, the creator and ruler of the universe, regarded as eternal, infinite, all-powerful, and all-knowing; Supreme Being; the Almighty Exist: to have reality or actual being; to occur or be present Sources: http://www.yourdictionary.com I will be arguing that God does not exist. I will let my opponent present his arguments first.

death sentence to criminal legal or illegal

2009-11-20T06:25:17-08:00

(Debating Period) it is legal

Ultimate Team War - Ender's Game 3

2009-11-19T17:56:19-08:00

(Debating Period) This is Ultimate Team War - Ender's Game. Each debater must assemble a team of five characters, and the teams will then fight to the death(ish). Since we cannot have an actual real-life battle, each debater will explain why their team is superior during this debate. DEFINITIONS Team leader: One of the debaters here, i.e. me or mongeese. Team member: One of the five chosen warriors. Team Pro: My team. Team Con: My opponent's team. RULES 1. Battles take place in the Battle Room of Ender's Game. The room is 100m by 20m by 20m. A portal is located on each 20 by 20 wall, 5m by 5m. Each team has its own portal. The Battle Room is not lit, and there is no gravity. The Battle Room contains air, same in composition as that of Earth. Along the walls, 1-foot handlebars are located 3 m away from each other. The Battle Room and all handlebars are indestructible. The temperature of the Battle Room is 25 degrees Celcius. The Battle Room and the Preparation Rooms ma

Hitler was a hero

2009-11-19T15:55:54-08:00

(Debating Period) Many people in today's society see Hitler as an evil person but I am here to prove that Hitler was a hero I am not for the gruesome things Hitler did to Jews, gypsies, and handicaps and such but Hitler helped out people so much even at one point in history Hitler was a well known hero and I am here today to shed light on the heroic deeds of Hitler. Hero: a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Hero Hitler:http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/explorers_history/adolf_hitler_portrait.jpg If my opponent doesn't mind I would like to let them take the first speech and tell why Hitler was evil, and I thank whomever accepts this debate.

The Kalam Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God is Sound

2009-11-18T21:47:10-08:00

(Debating Period) My goal in this debate is to demonstrate that the Kalam cosmological argument is sound. My OP will be a very general outline and defense of the KCA, and I will leave it to my opponent to deliver and develop his specific criticisms in his OP before I go in depth, lest I attack straw men that are not a part of my opponent's argument. [1] The Kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God is one of the most popular arguments of natural theology today. Its foremost contemporary defender is philosopher William Lane Craig. Other proponents include Mark Nowacki, J. P. Moreland, and David S. Oderberg. According to atheist Quentin Smith, "A count of the articles in the philosophy journals shows that more articles have been published about Craig's defense of the Kalam argument than have been published about any other philosopher's contemporary formulation of an argument for God's existence." [2] The KCA is formulated as follows: 1. Whatever begins to exist

Abortion is Prima Facie Morally Wrong

2009-11-18T20:11:58-08:00

(Debating Period) I'm going to offer a brief outline of the pro-life position that I defend, and I will engage in further argumentation in the subsequent rounds. The fundamental issue regarding the abortion debate is not women's rights or other factors which concern personal autonomy, but over the status of the unborn child. Variants of the personal choice argument presuppose that the unborn child is not a human person, for if the unborn child is indeed a human person, then no amount of freedom justifies its elective termination. Henceforth, variants of the personal autonomy argument beg the question by presupposing their conclusions: they are valid if and only if the unborn are not human persons. [1] As outlined by Francis J. Beckwith, my argument against abortion will be as follows : 1. The unborn entity, from the moment of conception, is a full-fledged member of the human community. 2. It is prima facie morally wrong to kill any member of that community 3. Every su

Public Behaviour

2009-11-18T19:15:19-08:00

(Debating Period) Resolved, that no circumstance can excuse Ms. Langrall's behaviour in the following incident: Police: Woman threw urine-soaked sweatshirt on cop Megan Nicole Langrall was arrested for shoplifting in Shrewsbury Township, police said. By TED CZECH Daily Record/Sunday News Updated: 11/16/2009 08:29:33 AM EST A Codorus Township woman threw a sweatshirt soaked with urine, saliva and mucus in a state trooper's face after he arrested her for retail theft Saturday, according to state police. Police arrested Megan Nicole Langrall, 24, at the Wal-Mart in Shrewsbury Township about 4 p.m. They then placed her in the backseat of a police cruiser to take her to state police's barracks in Loganville. On the way to the barracks, Langrall urinated in the backseat of the cruiser, police said. Troopers took Langrall inside the barracks and gave her an emergency blanket in which to wrap herself. They also told her that if she was wearing a shirt under her u

Child Beauty Pageants

2009-11-19T18:37:20-08:00

(Debating Period) Child Beauty Pageants: Child beauty pageants should be banned. It causes children, especially little girls, to use artificial means to boost their self esteem. People were born as-is, not with makeup, spray tans, big hair, and false teeth. Not only does it cause low self esteem in young girls, but it also sexualizes them. It seems that our society has overlooked the fact that there are sexual predators (pedophiles) who are not incarcerated. Placing children in a child beauty pageant is only making the children a target for these types of people. Any parent placing their child in these types of pageants, based solely on looks, is giving their child the attitude that appearance can get you anywhere in life. It is wrong to teach children that looks are the most important asset to possess. I am not stating that children shouldn't be encouraged to develop a talent or skill, and compete with that talent or skill, I am stating that competing over looks is se

The F.D.A. should not ban flavored Tobacco

2009-11-18T20:08:54-08:00

(Debating Period) Hello before i begin id like to start by saying it's weird to be back after almost a year of absence from my old username "the_conservative". Apparently i wa pretty controversial haha, but let's begin. As we all know a little while back our President Barack Hussein Obama signed legislation giving the Food and Drug Administration power to regulate the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco, which can give them power to ban flavored Dip such as "Skoal Apple" or Chew such as "Beechnut Moonshine" etc. because according to these organizations it is "appealing to youths". Spared from the proposed ban were tobacco products such as Skoal Straght, Grizzly Straight, Copenhagen Longcut,etc... The reason these were excluded from the ban is because these are not "flavored" as opposed to "Natural tobacco flavor" Now remember the proposed ban was to supposedly protect the youths. (if you think they actually care about the youths anyways you got a lot of learnin

resolved: hobos appreciate chicken taquitos

2009-11-18T19:16:26-08:00

(Debating Period) There once was a time when hobos enjoyed the deliciousness of the taquito. That time is long gone. For this reason, my partner and I must negate resolved: hobos appreciate chicken taquitos. This will be a public forum style debate. Hobo is defined as one who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or a means of livelihood. Contention 1- hobos don't deserve taquitos. They are not part of society and contribute nothing. If they realize they don't contribute to the U.S. economy due to their hobo status, they will come to the realization that they don't deserve the chicken taquitos anymore than the hard working citizens do. Because of this, hobos are unable to appreciate said taquitos. Contention 2- Dr. Seuss once stated that "cup, pup, pup in cup". The pup represents the hobo hiding in his/her temporary residence, the cup. As expressed in the illustrations, the pup does not appreciate the cup that it is given. How can a hobo appreciate chicken

War in Afghanistan

2009-11-18T18:07:03-08:00

(Debating Period) Than You opponent for joining this debate: now Proposition I. Casualties a. 20,119 people have been killed in Afghanistan i. this number includes 11,152 Afghan Troops ii. 7,589 Afghan Civilians Killed iii. 746 US soldiers killed iv. 551 other soldiers killed v. 75 contractors vi. and 6 Journalists! (according to icasualties.org) b. Why should we keep fighting this war started on the false notion that there were weapons of mass destruction there? That was the only reason, BUT THERE WERENT so why are we still there II. Military a. Remember history. The British Afghan wars and the Soviet occupation of the 1980s should be a warning against military involvement in a country whose tribal tensions make it almost ungovernable. b. There is no longer the opportunity that there was in 2002 and 2003 to build a stable democracy. Overtures have already been made to moderate factions of the Taliban about a power-sharing agreement. The West should focus its e

Resolved: public health concerns justify compulsory vaccinations

2009-11-20T13:43:38-08:00

(Debating Period) I would like to debate this debate in LD format. I thank my opponent in advance for accepting the round, and good luck :)

In the Year 2012, the world will not end.

2009-11-17T17:49:50-08:00

(Debating Period) I affirm. Definitions: 2012: 12/21/12. Supposedly, that's when the world will end. Clarification: In the year 2012, the world wouldn't end. Contention 1: In the past people believed the world will end on a certain day. Well a vast majority of this didn't happen. For examples: 6/6/06 didn't happen. In the year of 2000 the world didn't end. So in the year 2012 the world will not end. Contention 2: We are using the Georgian Calendar. Only the Mayan Calendar says in 2012 the world will end. Therefore for reasons above, vote pro.

In reality, is .999 repeating actually equal to 1?

2009-11-20T13:49:05-08:00

(Debating Period) Hello everyone. I have been searching through the website's old debates and I had come upon multiple interesting mathematical debates covering this topic. However, they are long gone and the one I looked through had bad grammar, spelling, and behavior. Thus, I would like to redo this debate with a hopefully better behaved person. Thank you in advance for whoever accepts this debate, and I hope that you enjoy it. Please be aware that when I state a decimal with three numbers following the actual decimal point, I do mean a repeating decimal. (EX: .999 = .9 repeating) -------------------- = Round 1 = -------------------- The essential idea is that .999 is the same as 1.0. Now, when you think about this it is impossible for two different numbers to be equal to each other. Note that I say two DIFFERENT numbers. If 0.9 repeating was the same as 1.0 then all of these following equations would be true: .333 = 1/3 .666 = 2/3 .999 = 1

School Uniforms benefit schools

2009-11-20T12:42:01-08:00

(Debating Period) I don't have much time now, so the first round will not have arguments.

Conscientious objectors should be obliged to make the same sacrifices as conscripted soldiers

2009-11-20T10:56:43-08:00

(Debating Period) The leader of one nation to another: "You should, like, chill out, man. Instead of invading my country, why not light an ethically-sourced soy-wax scented candle, make a nice cup of organic Fairtrade jasmine tea and attain inner peace through holistic meditation? Because killing people is like wrong, you know, and war is like really bad and that." I think we can all sympathise with the appeal from a pacifist head of state to an evil, psychopathic tyrant to stop his warmongering ways and get in touch his feminine side though the medium of spiritual healing but, unfortunately, more often than not, the ruthless dictator in question will ignore such an entreaty and will instead order his amassed armies to cross the border and advance on his enemy's capital with strict instructions to mercilessly crush all resistance en route. In such a scenario, even the most peace-loving president would have no option but to mobilise his armed forces and immediately compel a