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  • This house prefers a world in which all world religions codified the doctrine of the "Protestant work ethic".

    Infoslide

    The "Protestant work ethic" refers to the notion that work is a spiritually noble vocation. As such, individuals who adopt the Protestant work ethic believe ordinary labor (e.g. farming, business) are not just economic necessities, but active callings from God, and that traits in the pursuit of hard work (e.g. diligence, perseverance) are signs of spiritual strength.

    Singapore International Schools Debating Championships 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-16

  • This house regrets the dominance of spectacle in contemporary art

    Infoslide

    In recent decades, contemporary art has increasingly challenged conventional ideas of what constitutes "art" and often prioritized provocation, novelty, or conceptual shock — broadly, spectacle — over traditional skills or aesthetics. Examples include "America" by Maurizio Cattelan (top left), "Erased de Kooning Drawing" by Robert Rauschenberg (top right), "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn" by Ai Weiwei (bottom left), and "Balloon Dog" by Jeff Koons (bottom left). ![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rd-d/ALs6j_FVa2RC_r5bGrgQNKYtK5TXo2Tje_zEakt0bm_OwJX9kvZaOLeCuN60PhKhwsbb4dP9jkxlere7-Hy_xgGMlfZaBhfMAReQC3mz- zQNBMCHavFIDNHeLZ7JLFGMx9-bE64kj5yJDep6mXMdRy5R0vsCCZbCt46j8kD01Zb6yRi57c9DCYlBDFKhtVqnOnjB1HEUe1CvGxiiY4waz_AId-6EFfL_YAh45fN8djLt-e2aiOjoveom5YCoau5W_Km7hE24mMe1oUq_8VQ6cQLzu1S1dD9NcTTnSgM3fYYUz7BHj- kisT8BZ3LHYJJYvyzbev217gy6-rpA88fmo2YilQjQZjEbt_m4yRdsAtwtV_6omcQ4re5N2baaOVXDE5CvK5wh6FT54kP7FtKpQ15w9WIbkxC74R1nOSA10_mRv- duMUPQAMw5k5ukaI8C2w7Vpi0A1gU4wGAuhEmWxvALgM-8oTZC- AffUtDksTTMngwvKjlql5xl0_qUBLdrO3u8DkjfUZC47fk_gwDW- wpCptsWklJKYJ9GTJ-54jfTOHIhHPLzakLYLqSx6NN9XYCuhcMPrdrVj3TUcx- OiIVU7PkOBsV0Q5gYlSNVbwSWZPRrYyePV7psjXen2IQHUDqSZGC7dozB9iI5OYOs- Nj32YC9CnpgbFfO__x0Ffs3FkfSKJr6arODB11VQQTHzkDbFNQqeVz8Vi0Km0z7Fp9s0tg08Fz0_5anC8ZJp18N4lSZ_vWmzdkmZp0QocvtAMUmoSkJX7dBajvRR4lYGwwRqNnIKYc_anZGbZwbTnFKZUjMHgd2zVW39pmBuYk2mN9J8uB9Zd62mP0TynWM54wSp840yQNvF1ZQpN2OTARiLrirG56BOfV59rjMk2FKg3Lnll4OFHacjjUWyrHKyi7zaB8vaII5-7sU9NsQj0ZE9jAaK58SBPUfpwq6O4uGBUOptuwvGxXbUrgfIRVmr5baycdRE_PGIdWOwbwR_Wv6toyVg5OJd9Dqn62I4eAExw2cLTODzj6J_A=w2940-h1594)

    Hart House Autumn Split 2025 · Round 2 · 2025-11-15

  • This house regrets the shift from imaginative play to goal-oriented play

    Infoslide

    Imaginative play refers to open-ended activities that encourage creativity and self-directed exploration - for instance building freely with LEGO, playing pretend, or creating original stories and worlds. Goal-oriented play refers to structured activities with pre-set objectives, narratives, or progression systems - for instance, story-driven video games, franchise-based toys (like Marvel or Star Wars sets), or games where success is measured by winning or completing specific missions.

    Hart House Autumn Split 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-11-15

  • This house believes that history is thick rather than thin

    Infoslide

    A thick view of history holds that that the macro state of society at a given point is largely determined by overwhelming structural forces which made that state close to inevitable. A thin view of history holds that it is largely as a result of a small number of factors (e.g. events, people or processes) which could easily have been different and lead to different outcomes, making that state subject to a substantial degree of randomness.

    ANU Spring 2025 · Novice Final · 2025-11-15

  • This house supports the sex exceptionalist view of sexual harm

    Infoslide

    A sex exceptionalist view of sexual harm holds that sexual harms are more severe than, and qualitatively distinct from, other forms of bodily or emotional harm.

    ANU Spring 2025 · Semifinals · 2025-11-15

  • This House Would Choose to be born on North Sentinel Island over being born randomly somewhere else in the world

    Infoslide

    North Sentinel Island, part of the Andaman archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, houses the Sentinelese, an isolated indigenous tribe that vigorously defends its seclusion from outsiders. For the purposes of this debate, if you are born on the North Sentinel Island, basic food security is guaranteed and no climate-change-related disasters will occur during your lifetime.

    Ecuadorian National Schools Debating Championship 2025 · Round 4 · 2025-11-14

  • This house prefers a world in which people believe A theory of time rather than B theory of time.

    Infoslide

    A-Theory of time claims that time flows; the present is uniquely real, while the past no longer exists and the future does not yet exist. B-Theory of time claims that all points in time; past, present, and future are equally real. Time does not pass; it simply is.

    Norwich Mini 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-14

  • This house believes that the representation of nihilism in art does more harm than good.

    Infoslide

    Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Round 2 · 2025-11-10

  • This House prefers a world in which oracles exist.

    Infoslide

    An oracle is someone capable of providing prophecies. These prophecies are expressed vaguely, in poems or riddles, but they are always accurate. Oracles cannot choose what they prophesy about and only see very limited parts of the future—fixed points that cannot be changed. Oracles are rare: only a few hundred exist at the same time, distributed proportionally to the population around the world.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-10

  • This house, as Po, would have chosen to stay with his panda family instead of returning to the Valley of Peace.

    Infoslide

    In the Kung Fu Panda universe, Po is a panda who was raised by Mr. Ping, a goose who runs a noodle shop. Po grows up believing Mr. Ping is his real father. Po is also the Dragon Warrior and the protector of the Valley of Peace. Mr Ping is a good father and takes care of Po well ever since he was a baby. Later, Po discovers that he is adopted and that his biological father, Li Shan, and a hidden village of pandas have survived in secret. After reconnecting with his biological family, Po is offered the chance to stay in the panda village, where he finally feels a sense of belonging and cultural identity. If he chooses to stay, he can still practice kungfu but he has to pass on the mantle of the Dragon Warrior

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-11-10

  • This house regrets the dominant narrative that 'a friend in need is a friend indeed'

    Infoslide

    The phrase "a friend in need is a friend indeed" means that a true friend is someone who helps you when you are in trouble, rather than abandoning you.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · U-19 Quarterfinals · 2025-11-10

  • This house prefers Disney's approach to Ghibli's approach in children's media.

    Infoslide

    For the purpose of this debate, there are two tropes in children's media. Disney's approach presents a world with clear good and evil, wherein good always triumphs. Ghibli's approach presents a world with no true evil and morality is subjective, where peaceful compromise is ultimately possible and neither side necessarily triumphs.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Round 2 · 2025-11-10

  • This house, as a religious leader, would destroy the test.

    Infoslide

    Many religions include artefacts that are claimed to be historically sacred, e.g. Buddha relics, bones of Catholic saints, the Holy Grail. You are a religious leader who has discovered a test that can definitively verify the authenticity of any artefact.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-10