Loved it when I was young – but certainly caused some tensions, and now perhaps seen as aggressive and overpowering.

“In our age of polarisation we have lost the skills of thoughtful empathic argument – and the will to invest in them”. 

Debate encourages empathy, not polarisation, as you need to be able to see the opposite point of view to begin to challenge it. Rather than just defend a standpoint, in debate you play and experiment, “until we stumble on ideas  worthy of our commitment.”

Yes, such exploration can result in confusion and indecision, but better that then the false clarity of dogma. 

[Bo Seo, world champion debater – in the Big Issue]