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In 2006 the Foundation brought the Intelligence Squared (IQ2) debate series to a live audience in New York City—and to a national audience through National Public Radio® (NPR®)—with the goal of raising the level of public discourse on the key issues of our day. It believes partisan rancor has replaced reasoned discussion in Congress; mainstream media has become increasingly contentious and ideological; the think tank world is too often preaching to its respective choirs; and discussions everywhere of important issues are dominated more by emotion than by facts and analysis. Often those on one side of an issue do not recognize that there is an intellectually respectable opposing view.
The inaugural Intelligence Squared US debate on September 27, 2006.
With IQ2, the Foundation has brought to the United States a program that is an acclaimed success in London—important, provocative, intellectually rich, humorous and dramatic. The format is Oxford-style debate. A motion is proposed: two to three speakers argue for the motion, two to three argue against, while a moderator controls the proceedings. Through NPR®, which distributes the series nationally, these debates have a large audience, attracting panelists who are among the leading thinkers and authorities on each issue.
The approach is to take the traditional “grammar” of Oxford-style debate seriously, with one side proposing and the other side opposing a sharply-framed motion. Two to three speakers argue on each side of the motion. After the formal arguments, the debate is thrown open to the floor for questions, triggering a lively interchange among the speakers and audience members. A moderator keeps the proceedings orderly. Each side attempts to persuade the audience to vote their way. This adversarial context is electric, adding drama and excitement. The live audience will vote on the motion both before and after hearing the arguments, so there is a clear measure of how far people have actually been swayed.
The debates are held at Caspary Auditorium at The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue at 66th Street in New York City. Evenings begin at 6:00 p.m. with a wine reception; the live debate begins at 6:45 p.m. and ends promptly at 8:30 p.m. The live audience, the movers and shakers of New York’s media, policy, and business worlds, will often choose to continue the discussion at some of the fine restaurants nearby. For information on tickets and membership packages, please visit the Intelligence Squared
US website (www.iq2us.org) or
call 212-868-4444.
Dates and motions for the Fall 2008 season:
September 16, 2008
Health Care will suffer if government mandates universal coverage
October 7, 2008
America is finally winning the war in Iraq
October 28, 2008
Guns reduce crime
November 18, 2008
Google violates its “don’t be evil” motto
December 2, 2008
Bush 43 is the worst president of the last 50 years
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