Despite what you might think about libertarian magazine editors, I wasn't a high school debater. So technically, I don't have a dog (or a cat) in this fight.
But studies really do show debate is good for you. A 2011 study by the University of Michigan's Briana Mezuk and her colleagues found that compared with their nondebating peers, participants in the Chicago Debate League were more likely to graduate, were more likely to meet ACT college-readiness benchmarks, and had greater gains in GPA. The study went to great pains to control for self-selection, suggesting that what matters is the practice of debate itself, and not just an argumentative disposition. In another study a decade later with her Michigan colleague Tomohiro M. Ko, Mezuk found similar boosts to GPA and SAT scores for Houston debaters. And a 2021 study of New Jersey students found significant GPA and SAT bumps as well.
Anyone who has ever met a high school debater knows that they show the kind of self-possession, confidence, and critical thinking that is too often absent in their peers. They're also rarely the most popular kids in school, perhaps because in their enthusiasm for engagement, they sometimes tend to practice their skills in inappropriate circumstances.
In a culture where young people in particular are taught to go to great lengths to avoid giving offense, carving out space where disagreement is not just tolerated but encouraged becomes even more important. These are the opposite of the much-derided "safe spaces" of the 2010s.
The best relationships have space for respectful disagreement. Couples go to therapy to learn how to fight. Family members and friends can and should learn to talk through their differences before it comes to a dramatic will reading or a messy wedding toast. But when it comes to politics, many people are unwilling to agree to disagree and have lost the trick of disagreeing amicably.
Esta historia es de la edición May 2023 de Reason magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 2023 de Reason magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Libertarianism From the Ground Up
ARGUMENTS FOR LIBERTARIANISM typically take two forms. Some libertarians base their creed on natural rights-the idea that each individual has an inborn right to self-ownership, or freedom from aggression, or whatever-and proceed to argue that only a libertarian political regime is compatible with those rights.
Lawlessness and Liberalism
THE UNITED STATES is notorious both for mass incarceration and for militarized police forces.
Politics Without Journalism
THE 2024 CAMPAIGN WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT FOR THE WAY WE PROCESS PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
EVERY BODY HATES PRICES
BUT THEY HELP US DECIDE BETWEEN BOURBON AND BACONATORS.
The Great American City Upon a Hill Is Always Under Construction
AMERICA'S UTOPIAN DREAMS LEAD TO URBAN EXPERIMENTATION.
Amanda Knox Tells Her Own Story
\"OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM RELIES UPON OUR OWN IGNORANCE AND THE FACT THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR RIGHTS ARE.\"
Trade Policy Amnesia
WHILE HE WAS interviewing for the job, President Joe Biden demonstrated an acute awareness of how tariffs work. It's worrisome that he seems to have forgotten that or, worse, chosen to ignore it-since he's been president.
Civil Liberties Lost Under COVID
WHEN JOE BIDEN was sworn in as president in January 2021, he had good reason to be optimistic about the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bye, Joe
AMERICA'S 46th president is headed out the door. After a single term marked by ambitious plans but modest follow-through, Joe Biden is wrapping up his time in office and somewhat reluctantly shuffling off into the sunset.
Q&A Mark Calabria
IF YOU HAVE a mortgage on your home, the odds are that it's backed by one of two congressionally chartered, government-sponsored enterprises (GSES), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.