With Open to Debate (formerly Intelligence Squared U.S.), the Foundation has brought to the United States a program that is an acclaimed success in London-important, provocative, intellectually rich, humorous and dramatic. Open to Debate has presented more than 90 debates to a national audience of millions on a wide range of provocative and timely topics. From clean energy and the financial crisis, to the Middle East and the death of mainstream media, Open to Debate brings together the world’s leading authorities on the day’s most important issues.
The series is based on the traditional Oxford-style debate format, with one side proposing and the other side opposing a sharply-framed motion. Before the debate begins, the audience registers their pre-debate opinion using an electronic voting system. These results are announced later in the program. Alternating between teams, each debater gives a 7-minute opening statement before diving into a lively debate and answering questions from the moderator and the audience. After 2-minute closing statements by each panelist, the audience votes once more. The audience delivers the final verdict by voting again whether they are for, against, or undecided on the proposition. The two sets of results are compared and the winner is determined by which team has swayed more audience members between the two votes.
Open to Debate encourages you to expand your thoughts and reconsider where you stand on the issues. Initiated by the Rosenkranz Foundation in 2006, Open to Debate (formerly Intelligence Squared US) has continued to provide a respectful forum for opposing ideas, demonstrating that the contrasting side is not always in the wrong. Open to Debate provides a platform for disparate ideas and teams to deliver an entertaining and educational night.
Open to Debate is distributed through NPR® and PBS® nationwide. Check your local listings for details. For information on tickets and membership packages, please visit the Open to Debate website (https://opentodebate.org/) or call 212-303-4355.
Recent Past Debates
Individuals and Organizations Have a Constitutional Right to Unlimited Spending on Their Own Political Speech
June 26, 2014
View Result
Death is Not Final
May 7, 2014
View Result
Millennials Don't Stand a Chance
April 9, 2014
View Result
More Clicks, Fewer Bricks: The Lecture Hall is Obsolete
April 2, 2014
View Result
Featured Past Debaters
Arianna Huffington
Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post
For - The Two-Party System is Making America Ungovernable
Malcolm Gladwell
The New Yorker Staff Writer & Author, The Tipping Point
For - Ban College Football
Eliot Spitzer
Former Governor of the State of New York
Against - Obama's Economic Policies are Working Effectively
Karl Rove
Fox News Contributor
Against - Bush 43 is the Worst President of the Last 50 Years
General Wesley Clark
Four-star General as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Against - Obama's Foreign Policy Spells America's Decline
