July 16-20, 8 p.m.
Recently in the U.S., it seems as if partisan rancor has replaced reasoned debate; mainstream media has become contentious and ideological; and discussions of important issues are being dominated by emotion than by facts and analysis. The debate series Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) attempts to change this trend and raise the level of public discourse on the key issues of our day.
Modelled on the British program Intelligence Squared, IQ2US is an Oxford-style debate that is provocative, intellectually rich, humorous, and dramatic. For each debate a motion is proposed. Then, two panelists argue for the motion and two argue against it, with a moderator controlling the proceedings. After the formal arguments, the debate is thrown open to the floor for questions, triggering a lively interchange among the speakers and audience members. Each side attempts to persuade the audience to vote their way. This adversarial context is electric, adding drama and excitement to the proceedings. 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. Those votes are tallied during the evening and announced at the end with a clear side winning.
This series of one-hour debate specials is produced by the Intelligence Squared U.S. Foundation with major support from The Rosenkranz Foundation. ABC's John Donvan is the debate and one-hour radio program host, and Dana Wolfe is executive producer.
Please give us your honest opinions on the new programs. What did you like? What did you not like? And, if you've got the time, tell us why, too. Once we've got the community's "diagnosis," it will help WBHM write a prescription for change!
