We are a non-profit public community organization; a group of people interested in words, ideas and the power of quick thinking. Debating will help you refine your persuasive speaking skills - a talent that will benefit other aspects of your life.
As members of the Toronto Debating Society, we enjoy refining our persuasive speaking skills and guests enjoy watching our lively, heated and entertaining debates on a variety of topics.
New videos are posted every two weeks during regular meeting seasons. We meet at Swansea Town Hall in Bloor West Village every other Tuesday from September to May. Attendance is always free.
We are not necessarily debating our own feelings and beliefs; rather we are intrigued by the prospect of defending any side of any issue to challenge even our own viewpoints.
As a writer, I used to use pens but it was insufferable when ink leaked or suddenly stopped producing ink (especially ballpoints). Without warning, cartridges just stopped working. Since I've switched to having lots of pencils, an electric shkarpener and lots of notebooks I've increased my productivity. Some famous writers such as Roald Dahl also prefered to write with pencils.
There is absolutely no reason to study Shakespeare or any classic literature unless you aspire to be an actor. I am sick and tired of people trying to convince me that I am ignorant and lazy. Some lazy might be true but there was no reason to occupy my time with literary nonsense. There were so many other things I could have been doing instead. To: Bill Shakespeare, Ralph Emerson, Thoreau, Vern, Twain, Hemingway, Dickens and the rest, I hate you for making my school years miserable.
Neither one tried very hard. She seemed afraid that she would be taken seriously if she put up a decent argument. Meanwhile he was self-contradicting as he mentioned more reasons than she did as to why Shakespeare is no longer relevant. Pro: The works of Shakespeare are no longer relevant because language and storytelling have moved on. We no longer speak in iambic pentameter, probably never did. Saying "thee" "thou" "ne'er" and other arcaic words makes it all sound like the Bible and that prompts a reverence in some but it is unwarranted. The backward thinking that goes into saying 'well we know Shakespeare was a genius therefore....' (insert thing that is unproven or undocumented here) is damaging to our understanding of the creative process. The longstanding effort to separate the Shakespeare canon from the prior versions of the works likewise degrades rather than enhances a student's understanding not just of literature but of Western culture. Calling a prior version of Hamlet, the version written by Thomas Kyd, calling that "Ur Hamlet" is typical of the unscholarly sanctimony that surrounds Shakespeare. They can't even just say "earlier Hamlet" -- perhaps that would be too straightforward so they use the obscure word "ur". No one talks or acts the way people in a Shakespeare play do. It reads well but performances are pure torture -- long awkward monologues about Kings and Kingdoms and heirs to the throne are not relevant to those of us who live in apartments or the suburbs. Performances of Shakespeare plays are often free or grossly under attended because most people don't view Shakespeare as relevant to their lives. If we can't have truth around Shakespeare, can't have criticism and can't let people choose not to read it then Shakespeare is not only no longer relevant but outright degradation of education.
I dun pretty well in life and never needed Shakesphere or math beyond algabra whats so ever. All that waste of time that could of been used for something better like computer prgraming or launching rockets into space. nancy pelozi comes to mind as a drunk skunk.
I mean if you think about it, every fruit and vegetables that you eat are GMOs, and there is nothing wrong with them. They are just made to be able to be mass produced to feed a bunch of people, and also they are bred to last longer than their natural counterparts.
The problem with your comment is that while GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms, the opponents of GMOs don't use those 3 letters to mean that. They mean Organisms genetically modified using recombinant DNA technology. I guess they thing OGMURT wouldn't roll off the tongue.
Dean is wrong when he said pencils are used in space. In fact, NASA avoids pencils because the lead could easily break off and float away thereby creating a hazard to astronauts and sensitive electronics on the spacecraft. Ordinary pens can't be used in space either. In fact, NASA developed special pens called Space Pens.
Scenarios are vague and leave no room for investigation to understand constrains better and address an issue. Therefore only those who see the scenario in the same way can pass the exam. Particularly limiting.
ok I have to agree with this, exams are completely useless as it only determines someones future by giving someone a job based on how good their memory is and not how intelligent they are to getting that job
Great video and very interesting arguments, especially in light of the recent U.S. mid-term elections. The argument about people under 21 voting like their parents & essentially giving the parents another vote reminded me of something I witnessed at Colonial Williamsburg (in the U.S. state of Virginia) a few years ago. I attended a lecture by an actor who was portraying a young Thomas Jefferson. After the lecture he answered questions - staying in character while doing so. A woman asked him what he felt about women voting - something not allowed nationally in the U.S. until 1920). “Jefferson” responded “Why would I want to do that? Allowing a woman to vote would be giving an extra vote to her father if she were unmarried or to her husband if she was married, something that would be unfair.” BTW, raising the national voting age in the U.S. to 21 was a result of the Viet Nam war. At the time, the U.S. was drafting 18 year olds into the military, some of whom ended up fighting in Viet Nam. The argument made at the time was that if you are old enough to to be required to fight, and perhaps die, for your country you should have a voice in the matter, by voting (an argument similar to that made by residents of the 13 colonies who felt taxation without representation was wrong).
As someone forced to bear the boorishness of the blasted Bard in order to struggle through an acting class, I might be slightly in love with Heather's opening argument. There was nothing new in Shakespeare, and chances are even the oh so clever contributions to the language were often him (or those writing under his name) simply putting to paper phrases they heard spoken around them. Shakespeare's no more or less relevant than any other playwrite who's touched upon the human condition, yet everyone at some point has to suffer his near impenetrable wordery while being told over and over that he was like a once living god of theatre.
Complete fabrication and rubbish. I will give you an easy one. Resurrect the White Rhino. You still have Rhinos. You even have White Rhino dna. Go on resurrect one. Stinking clickbait. *** !!!
EV's haven't just started they have been around as long as gasoline cars have. EV's just never had the technology to compete with gasoline cars. Most Tesla's vehicles are not made with new technology. They just redesigned old tech that is why EV's are so limiting. Yes you can say it is innovation still however they will never compete with gasoline cars. Battery technology is the heart of any EV and batteries have been around for a long time and there have been markets for batteries so I don't see some big development of batteries that can improve to compete with gasoline. That being said I still hope batteries improve but if everyone drove an EV the world would change just simply from the limits EV's would create.
If you even knew your face mask "theoretical" argument would not be so theoretical a few years later.... you would have invested in face mask stocks? 😆
Instead of exams, just ask a student the answer of what they studied and if he gave a very different yet complex answer with the same meaning, he is intelligent and have understood the meaning of what they studies according to me
