Debate.org: Philosophy Debates

Barack Obama is a gay, Muslim, communist, black, hippie, atheist, and lazy president

2013-06-18T19:35:24-08:00

(Debating Period) prove me wrong suezy wong

Sam Harris' 'The Moral Landscape'

2013-06-18T02:09:11-08:00

(Debating Period)

Ave.

Topic: Sam Harris's 'The Moral Landscape''
Position: Con/Against
Category: Philosophy
Rounds: 4
Voting Period: 2 Weeks
Time to Argue: 48 Hours
Argument Max: 8,000 Characters
Ave.

Topic: God exists.
Position: Con/Against
Category: Science
Rounds: 4
Voting Period: 2 Weeks
Time to Argue: 24 hours
Argument Max: 6,000 Characters
Vote Comments: Yes

I have made this debate nearly impossible to accept.

Anyone that would like to accept it, please post in the comments section and I will decide whether or not I want to debate you.

Anyone that finds a way to accept this debate without my permission will automatically forfeit all rounds and all 7 points will go to me.

Definitions

Sex - Sexual Intercourse

Marriage - the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage

Moral - of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior

Sound - free from error, fallacy, or misapprehension

Without God there is no objective basis for morality.

2013-06-17T03:22:31-08:00

(Debating Period)

Nontheists should feel free to argue that, although God is irrelavent, morality is relative.

First round is for acceptance last round for rebuttals only.

Good luck.

Capitalism is a more just sytem than socialism

2013-06-17T00:16:08-08:00

(Voting Period) Before I begin my debate, I'd like to offer some definitions. Capitalism: A system in which all interactions between men are voluntary (Ayn Rand) Just: acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good (Merriam Websters) Socialism: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods (M&W) Rights: The concept of a "right" pertains only to action"specifically, to freedom of action. It means freedom from physical compulsion, coercion or interference by other men. (Ayn Rand) Okay, my first contention: Socialism=theft The basic principal of laissez faire capitalism is the non aggression principal...No man may initiate force against another. In order to implement socialism, the government would have to take some of your stuff and redistribute it! It's like "gimme yo change o yur goin' to jail!" It is probably more eloquently s

People should NOT own guns

2013-06-11T08:01:14-08:00

(Post Voting Period) People shouldn't own guns. Guns are a problem in society, and result in the death of thousands every year. Whoever accepts this will have to prove how guns are helpful rather tahn a problem. Ican't grasp how anyone could even be for gun rights!

One Ought Not Eat and Walk in Public

2013-06-16T18:22:50-08:00

(Voting Period)

First Round for acceptance only.
5,000 character limit.

-- Definitions --

eat and walk: the act of eating food while simultaneously walking

public: any space you can encounter people which is not designated for eating purposes

E.g. Eating a hamburger while walking to your car.

No semantics
No trolling.

Communism is, on paper, the only good form of government

2013-06-15T13:14:00-08:00

(Post Voting Period)

First round is for acceptance only.
1. The BOP is shared
2. Any arguments pertaining to either, the USSR, China, Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, or North Korea are invalid, due to the fact that they have never been communist and never will be.
3. This is the only thing you may try and attack: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/
But I warn you, it has tons of Bullet proof logic.

The Cosmological Argument Is Sound

2013-06-09T03:26:51-08:00

(Post Voting Period)

The debate is about the Cosmological Argument.

Rules

No swearing.
No insult to character.
No insulting God.
No fallacies.
No forfeiting.
No special pleading. (An argument in which the speaker deliberately ignores aspects that are unfavorable to their point of view)
Burden of proof is shared.

The Cosmological Argument

Premise One: An infinite regression of instances of change in reality is impossible.
Premise Two: Following premise one, there must be a First Principle in reality before any instances of change in reality occurred.
Premise Three: Following premise two, the First Principle of reality must be either a natural mechanism, or God.
Premise Four: The natural mechanism must have been at one point, not causing instances of change in reality, otherwise the f

Resolution: Ulilitarianism is a superior moral theory to Kantianism.

2013-06-17T02:05:21-08:00

(Debating Period) This is part of the Official DDO Tournament moderated by 1DevilAdvocate. Note on Voting: This is Jury voting only via the terms of the tournament found here: http://www.debate.org/forums/debate.org/topic/31364/ Debate rules: 4 rounds, 1st round acceptance. 72 hour posting time. 8k characters. RFD required. 1 week voting period. Debates must be challenged and accepted no later than 6pm US central standard time on Sunday, June 2nd, 2013. Unfortunately, I am replacement for someone else. That's why this is so late. Resolution: Utilitarianism is a superior moral theory to Kantianism. Definitions: Kantianism: Kantianism is the deontological moral theory which claims that the right action in any given situation is determined by the categorical imperative. Utilitarianism: A moral theory which claims that the morally right action is the action that will maximize utility. Utility: According to John Stuart Mill, utility is happiness and h

Probable existence of a natural God

2013-06-06T09:31:18-08:00

(Post Voting Period)

I'd like to start off by saying that this debate is not meant to be a political one. It is not meant to implicate obligations to morality, etc. It is only meant to debate the possibility of a God that exists in accordance with the known functionality of the universe. In no way does this existence imply validity of religion, morality, after life, or consciousness.

That being said, I would like to use the first round for acceptance of rules and definitions, second for opening statements and any immediate refutations, third for further elaboration, and fourth for summarization of each side's own argument in a concise and understandable format.

I will be debating Pro for the probable existence (likely existence) of a God entity that exists with acceptable violation of the known functionality of the universe.

Agreeing to this debate means you accept the rules above.

Mauritius is not real.

2013-06-03T19:00:46-08:00

(Post Voting Period) Proof Mauritius is real. You gotta prove it bub. I'll prove that it doesn't exist to. #realtalk #lolgaggery #peoplewhotakethiswebsiteseriously

A world without deception is better than a world with deception

2013-06-15T22:57:50-08:00

(Voting Period)

This is the first debate I am participating in for the offical jury-moderated voting debate. I shall be arguing that a world without deception is better than a world with deception. As I am Pro and are arguing a positive claim, I have the primary burden of proof. First round is acceptance only.

The debate shall go for four rounds. Voting shall last seven days, and the jurors are F-16, YYW, Thett3, Zaradi, and Bladerunner060. No one else may vote, and anyone else shall be countered.

I wish the best of luck to my opponent, and look forward to an exciting debate.

Atheism ideology does not provide good morals.

2013-06-13T17:06:45-08:00

(Voting Period) This debate will be based around the idea that atheism does not provide a good moral design. Moral- being about good living and acting.

Howitzers > Samurai

2013-05-28T15:17:55-08:00

(Post Voting Period)

It is commonly known that howitzers are better than samurai in almost every way. They are more deadly, have a broader range of possibilities, both literally and strategically, and most importantly they can't die. No matter how well-trained a samurai is, he can try to hack at the cannon but it won't get him anywhere. The howitzer will still work, and in sixty years or so the samurai will die of "natural causes". For these reasons, howitzers will always be superior to samurai, and that's why the howitzers won the war for Japan.