Ampleforth Debating Society

by Henry Wakeham-Dawson (DO)

It was certainly good news when the Government had argued with itself on the internet sufficiently to allow us to argue with each other face to face. The Ampleforth Debating Society, which had been running steadily online has now returned to the Library, where attendance has rocketed. In a world of the equally concerning extremes of censorship and radicalism, what could be more important than debate? Where better to learn how to see through the meaningless spin, fancy rhetoric and down right lies to the heart of the matter than at 9:00 on Thursdays in the Library?

Those (now honourable fellows) who have taken a stand and debated themselves have truly done themselves a favour – not only an opportunity to state their case but moreover the acquisition of those vital skills: public speaking, cohesive arguing and contemporary understanding.

It is an encouraging testimony of our generation’s war against indifference that anyone would show up to watch at all, let alone bombard the speakers with (usually) powerful questions. It seems the often shocking attention span of the modern social-media-spoonfed world is being stretched. It is a curious thing, speaking to a camera in the knowledge that there could be a hundred people or no-one at all watching at the other end, trying to convince an audience that you can not see nor hear. It is uncanny arguing to only one face – your own – but this (for better or for worse) is the future. To talk to a room with 20 people in it knowing that the hundred thousand watching through the small camera at the back are the ones who will matter in the vote. Knowing you can’t say one thing to one person and another to someone else, you can’t tailor your arguments to the listeners because the listeners are everyone in the world. You can’t read the camera lens as you might read the room. Our first live-stream debate put this change into perspective for us, those speaking having to learn to debate in a way the world has known for barely half a century. Cicero and Demosthenes were never faced with a live-stream.

“The Debate Society is a fun activity where I get to develop my public speaking skills while exploring current topics.”

Hamish

“I enjoy the Debating Society because it gives me a chance to refine my opinions which helps me collect my thoughts and present them in a coherent way – and I like having a formal debate with my friends.”

Zara

“The Debating Society is somewhere where you can be passionate about whatever you want. It is somewhere where you learn valuable life lessons such as being adaptable. It also teaches you to see the unforeseeable, to adapt your words to your judge, motion and opponents. It forces you to improvise and to do so naturally.”

Simon