Philosophy Debate Topics for Students — page 38

1,989 debate topics, students. Debatable motions with arguments for and against. Open the arguments below, pick one at random, or present them full-screen.

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1851.
An agnostic is also an atheist
For
First, let me tell people what an atheist is in depth: An atheist is someone who does not accept any claim of a god existing. An atheist does not have to accept evolution as true, an atheist does not say 'there is no god', an atheist does not have to accept the big bang theory…
Definitions are as followed: Agnostic: a person who holds neither of two opposing positions on a topic Atheist: Someone who does not accept any claims that a god exists If my opponent disagrees, then please do not accept until we resolve the matter via the comments No…
Against
I will say an atheist is not an anti-theist. Where an atheist differs from an agnostic is in, that they are willing to accept claims that God does not exist. The atheist usually accepts the concept that God does not exist. They would say that the evidence against the existence…
I understand what you are saying. I agree that by these definitions an agnostic can be an atheist. I will say this is not always the case. In the very first round you admitted that there are agnostic atheists and agnostic christians. By admitting this you discounted the entire…
1852.
The ontological argument for God's existence is sound
For
So I see you may not believe in God? That's very sad. In my opinion we need no proof for we should already know that God is real. But you obviously see life in a scientific eye and seek proof of his existence. 1.The bible. God told Moses to right the bible. AND I know you want…
I'm batman...
Against
I will be arguing that the ontological argument for God's existence is not sound and therefore does not prove the existence of God. You can choose one of the 3 different ontological arguments that I have provided. Sound = A deductive argument is sound if and only if it is both…
There was no inconvenience; I accept the apology. Since Pro has chosen to forfeit the round, please vote Con. Should anyone be interested in arguing that the ontological argument for God is sound, let me know in the comments, and I will be happy to debate the issue.
1853.
Arguments for God's existence are unsound
For
I am a phyrronian skeptical Atheist who maintains that there is no necessity to believe in God. This is my second attempt to have a debate of this sort, the current one has resulted in my match being accepted by a troll who didn't engage in any true dialogue with me over the…
Against
Hopefully he does not mind me going ahead and getting started *People sometimes look at me with wonder when I say I believe in the God of the Bible. What they do not know is how many different concepts, genres, and thoughts go into that belief. There is an order to the…
The first ontological argument in the Western Christian tradition was proposed by Anselm of Canterbury in his 1078 work Proslogion. Anselm defined God as "that than which nothing greater can be conceived", and argued that this being must exist in the mind; even in the mind of…
1854.
Inexplicable events happen almost never to atheists
For
jibber jabber
con does nothing to rebut my claims and forfeits
Against
Argument extended.
Con produced-'something that happened to an atheist, that would have been called an apparent miracle had it happened to a religous person'- as per request.
1855.
Belief in God is rationally justified
For
Before I present my pentultimate argument, I'd like to share an observation I've made. Most of your rebuttals seem to consist of an attack on my personal knowledge, and not much else. My personal knowledge is not a relevant issue to this topic, so these attacks are ad hominems.…
1. "This is an argument from incredulity fallacy."Arguments from incredulity take the form:P is too incredible (or: I cannot imagine how P could possibly be true); therefore P must be false.I cannot imagine how P could possibly be false; therefore P must be true."[1]"Here, you…
Against
1; That is the definition of argument from ignorance. You are literally saying that because you don't know how something happened that it is untrue. You are not saying that you have evidence that it can't happen, which you don't have, you are saying that you lack information…
"1. Likelihood: As I said above (and you agreed), humans are currently incapable of developing life on our own. So, if we, an intelligent race, cannot create life, then how can random chance? If "nature" has so much creative power, why are we not seeing this power in action,…
1856.
Atheism requires belief that something can arise from nothing
For
I still prefer +. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OF THE RESOLUTION: The resolution is a piece of humour that essentially means that atheist don't believe that there had to be an original cause. This was originally clarified in the first round: "The…
My opponent claims that my question is irrelevant. Truly, it is. In the end, this doesn't really matter as to whether or not the resolution is proven or disproven. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (minusses) He misunderstood my question. I…
Against
(Notice that I have categorized "atheism" under Religion not because it is a religion, but because it is related to religion and religious topics.) My opponent has stated that "Atheism is the belief that nothing is needed to have anything occur" on his profile. I negate this…
On minuses and pluses: Pluses look too spiny to me. Minuses are better, but they're too small. I like equals the best, then asterisks. If I had to choose between minuses and pluses, I'd say minuses. "My opponent claims that the argument that not everything requires a cause is a…
1857.
Inferring the existence of God is reasonable
For
sdf
to us it's a mystery. that anything exists is amazing. but i just gave a bunch of arguments. id expect a little more from con.
Against
just kidding i completly believe in god i thought you might know more information than i do
how is god real? it makes no sense I mean how did he create the earth and all its people?
1858.
Morality without God is possible
For
My opponent was unable to post her last round in time. However, she has made her case in the comments section. I accept this as legitimate. For ease of access, I will post what she said here: ===Con's Argument=== I tried to reply to your claims sentence by sentence, but they…
"The main point here is not whether there is God or not, the main point is whether we believe in Him or not." Whether there can logically be a God or not has a great deal to do with it. If believing in him is unreasonable and our moral system is based off our belief in him than…
Against
"1. I have already stated that the definition of reason includes that we realize what it is we do and do not know and except them as such, for what the are. 2. I also stated that the concept of faith is in contradiction to that. Faith being the acceptance of things as true…
And welcome her to her first debate. " Thanks, it's my pleasure; And now, onto my argument… "You forget that there may not even be a God at all. If this is the case than our only foundation for our morals would be ourselves and society anyway, with no consequence on whether we…
1859.
Humanism is a better guiding philosophy than feminism
For
I agree with your definitions. Humanism is a social construct. It was crafted during the Renaissance as a social construct, a new one made following the medieval ages by the people post dark ages. Humanism only has its meaning because we gave it its meaning just like Feminism…
Good day, reader! As you can see, this debate is about how Humanism is a better and overall more morally just ideology then Feminism. I make this claim considering myself as a humanist and someone who particularly doesn't like the modern-day feminist actions or some of their…
Against
When we view these two terms in the same light and context as you describe, feminism seems to be exclusionary. It focuses solely on women, and in it's attempt at empowering women so they don't feel like the victims, turns around and makes them the victims of a supposed…
I accept this challenge. I will not be trying to argue that Feminism is greater than Humanism, instead I will be showing how they are equal and are essentially the same thing. First I will define terms so that we are on the same page: Feminism [1]- the advocacy of women's…
1860.
Atheism and ethics
For
This is a little game I would like to play with anybody who is both an atheist and believes in the oft quoted words of the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain…
Against
I reiterate my prior statement
As I can not respond to a proposition that has not been stated or developed, I shall decline to present an argument this round.
1861.
Atheism is a disbelief rather than a lack of belief
For
non belief=agnostic
huh
Against
Check it. I smoke joints wide with weed. Now, that gives me opportunity for mental elevation. It take stimulation for revelation.Alright withit.Now you say atheism is disbelief.You wrong muthafukka.Atheism mean no god. A is Greek for nah.Theos is Greek for god.Those Greek…
The square said "huh."I bet you suck anoth'a man's junk.Slurp'n and slob'n.Stop doing that mess.Now I just punk'd yo pecker mind.You gots mind-mud.
1862.
Atheists cannot find meaning in life
For
My resolution states that an atheist cannot explain away his intelligent, sentient existence- in other words, his existence is just a part of the ecology, and he himself has no reason to live. Theists, however, believe that they exist in order to serve God (this goes by…
"An interesting opinion, however I do feel that I should warn you that some voters on this site may take a dim view of debaters who only rebut without posting arguments. " As you can see, I ended up giving a contention, so no harm done. "This is a fairly nonsensical argument, a…
Against
Many thanks to my opponent for instigating this fascinating debate and I take this opportunity to cordially welcome him into the DDO community. I will keep this first round fairly brief because I feel that as instigator and Pro my opponent should be making some arguments to…
"I am not debating the human's life cycle, rather the reason for the human's life. " Me too and as I said survival and reproduction are reasons for the continuation of human life. Organisms exist so that cells can duplicate themselves more effectively. This is a reason for…
1863.
Atheism is itself a belief system
For
how can you disbelieve the claim that i am making right now, that i am wearing a hat as i type this, without belief? disbelief=belief that i am not wearing a hat belief=i am wearing a hat i dont know=i have to imagine it belief and disbelief are opposite position on an…
disbelief=i believe god is false belief=i believe god is true i can believe my neighbour is sleeping right now as i dont know i dont know=i have to imagine it know=Physical experience of now
Against
Extend arguments
Extend arguments
1864.
Agnostic atheism is the most reasonable view on religion
For
My apologies. This week's routine has exceeded my time management capacity."If God needed a beginning, he would not be God.""If the universe needed a beginning, it would not be the universe."I suppose we could also say, "if this picture needed a painter, it would not be a…
Nice to meet you Nid, and I appreciate your participation in this debate! "I do not see how this fits my opponent's argument. He argues for Agnostic ATHEISM, not Agnosticism. " - Con, Round 1. I recommend my opposition take a close look at my definitions paragraph, particularly…
Against
Darn, I was hoping for a full-length debate this time.
I will attempt here to rebut the points my opponent made in round 2 First, however, I must clear up a point from the last round. In refrence to the Kalam Cosmological Argument in round one, my opponent said: "A cosmological argument is supposed to also establish that God does…
1865.
Belief in the Abrahamic God is logical
For
Hey 2D I'm really swamped right now, and can't finish the debate. I can't really win regardless. I structured my initial resolution from a place that's nearly indefensible, and although I could score points by picking holes in my opponent's criticisms, the whole debate is…
To the readers, yes, I know I misworded this resolution, but it may still be salvageable. "Until you (prove God exists) the belief is not logical even if the belief provides potential benefits by hedging your bets." I don"t think proof of existence is necessary for logical…
Against
Ok, no harm no foul. Now I have a personal version of Pascal's Wager objections that I can use. If you're interested in general God arguments here is a link to a decent counter apologetics Wiki: http://wiki.ironchariots.org...At the bottom of the page is a list to the common…
You still haven't made a case for the Abrahamic God. To support Pascal's Wager you still need to make logical arguments for the specific god or why would we choose one over all the others? You indicate how this might be done but do not demonstrate that one god is better than…
1866.
The existence of God cannot be logically defended
For
First of all, nice job copying and pasting literally everything you wrote from this URL: http://www.catholicforum.com... Next, lets go to the actual arguments that "you" made, but first we should go back to the original premise that I made saying that my interpretation of God…
When evaluating the existence or lack of existence of anything in conventional logic, you require positively correlating evidence, and operation through logical and scientific processes. There are many reasons why I would reject the logical assumption of God(s), or at least…
Against
What real evidence can be supplied for God's existence? St. Thomas, in his Summa Theologica, sets forth five separate proofs for the existence of God, Unlike St. Anselm's proof, which deals with pure concepts, St. Thomas' proofs rely on the world of our experience-what we can…
It was done in a lab. It was truthful. I think you need hearing aids or something because the video clearly said it was sent to NY for testing, were it began in a lab. Because something like this happened, your only hope was to assume some scientist fudged the data. Really?!…
1867.
Pascal's Wager is a valid argument for believing in God
For
Pascal's Wager is right and we should believe in God.
Against
Extend.
Extend
1868.
The existence of a god is logically certain
For
As this is the final round I'll go line by line. First, he says, "Time. My opponent states that time must have had a beginning and before time nothing else could have existed. What my opponent perhaps doesn't realize is the fact that time in itself does not exist. Time is in…
First, thanks to Yraelz for accepting. Now, onto the debate. I will just refute my opponent's qualms with my premises. His attack on Premise One: "My opponent states that logically everything must have a beginning. This conclusion is flawed as this would indeed prove that there…
Against
Alright, I will also be going line by line. 1. Time. My opponent states that time is simply the measure of change, he says that this is a logical certainty because before this there was nothing. So let me point out the circular reasoning here. My opponent is arguing that…
Won't it be nice when we can simply transcribe our thoughts into written essays? Forget the hours taken of writing, forget the messy typos. Some day soon.... Anyways, time to examine each attack my opponent has made. Premise one: Time. My opponent states that time must have had…
1869.
Atheism is itself a form of belief
For
dammit i deleted my response... couldnt send it for some reason......... how do you know you are not being tricked and its not a live feed you are waching? atheism is the negative position on and imaginary claim, to say you are a lier! is being an atheist, unless ts true the…
theist=belief=i accept imagination atheist=disbelief=i accept imagination agnostic=i dont know=i accept reality all g no stick nobody knows god, so everyone is agnostic by default, therfore the agnostic position by default is i accept, i dont know belief is only relevant when i…
Against
:: "how do you know you are not being tricked and its not a live feed you are waching?" I don't. As stated earlier, belief is not related to truth. I may believe that you are wearing a hat, but I will not claim to know it for a fact. (The video could be someone else, for…
:: "theist=belief=i accept imagination" Some may not like calling it imagination, but I guess so. --------------------- :: "atheist=disbelief=i accept imagination" No. You are using the word "accept" and that is not happening. Believing that god exists OR believing that god…
1870.
Science can never prove whether God created the world
For
I probably could not convince YOU how this happened, because you are obviously very headstrong in your beliefs ( I mean this in the nicest way possible ), as am I... and this debate (I can tell) is going to go very similarly to the last one. The debate isn't to say how it…
Name says it all. Basically, if I were to be completely impartial, you could not convince me either way how the world was created. There is inconclusive proof of either of the following parenthesized events happening (creation either with or without some God-like figure to…
Against
Alright, lets begin. For the first round, I will speak shortly. Without God, the universe could not have come to be. Until my opponent provides another way for our existence, I must go by this. I await your response.
Prove –verb (used with object) 1.to establish the truth or genuineness of, as by evidence or argument This debate comes down to this definition. Can we prove if there is or is not a God? During the last round, I presented evidence for God. My opponent completely agrees, with…
1871.
Science functions as a religion
For
know=physical experience, like my eyes are matter only know is not a religion, religion is false, religion is belief, and knowledge is truth, fact an object is matter is absolute
god is imaginary, imagianton exist... you just said it know is true, and only know is true, matter is true, know is matter facts are in the past, past dosnt matter, now is matter you said god is imaginary, and are your ideas not imaginary? dosnt your ideas exist?
Against
Know is not religion. Many things are not religion. For ex: Shinto & Catholicism is religion. You are speaking in circles, your claims make hardly any sense. You've failed to defend your side of this argument. This was honestly a funny debate. Your logic made me laugh. Goodbye…
"know is true, and only know is true, matter is true, know is matter" What? Know is not an object or a word of discussion. What do you think matter is? Know is not matter. Know is a word, not an object so it doesn't take weight and space, or matter. You seem like you don't know…
1872.
God is a causal agent
For
I extend my argument.
I extend my argument
Against
Accepted. Let the games begin
1873.
Science is a religion because it relies on belief
For
I don't have beleifs, I know my experience of now kNow=now belief=be lie, as i don't know is true belief is nothing, and know is something. I cant believe in reality, and I cant know imagination, as know is true and imagination is false belief=acceptance that information is…
I have no beliefs belief=be lie kNow=now if I don't have to imagine it, I know it what are you most certain off, what you neighbor is doing, or that you are reading these words? am I holding a rock in my hand? you have to imagine it I don't know is a position of know, and know…
Against
I'm sorry to miss the last round, got tied up with work and just never made it back in time to post an argument. It appears that my opponent is claiming that the only thing that can be known is immediate experience and consequently everything other than that is false or a lie,…
My opponent begins by stating that he has no beliefs, which itself is a belief, so it is a self-negating statement. He then restates two of his word equations which appear to be an attempt to make some kind of point but are not the least bit accurate. He says "belief=be lie"…
1874.
Religion, atheism, and science are all wrong about reality
For
*** Conspiracy theory, I'm afraid, is usually lacking in theory and entirely a delving into Applied Conspiracy-- e.g., how to make one. *** This is not conspiracy "theory" it's conspiracy fact. No one's making assumptions or guessing what might be taking place behind the…
(Strap yourself in because this one's gonna be tough.) Religion, atheism, and official science are all fronts for the true essence of reality. (You may dismiss some info at first, but keep reading, and it will be understood) They have been established for purposes of divide and…
Against
"This is not conspiracy "theory" it's conspiracy fact. No one's making assumptions or guessing what might be taking place behind the scenes. The elite's have written specifically what they plan to do and how to do it in their books" Those who would like to be elite? Maybe.…
Sup dawg, I herd you liek tinfoil, so I'll put something even better in your hat so you can actually evade dat mind control while you think you evadin' mind control :). Whenever someone tells you that two or more opposing things are in league, are fundamentally the same, check…
1875.
Belief in God is not necessary for morality
For
Now on to my rebuttal and arguments. Contention 1: There must be a standard for morality. I agree with this statement. There must be, and there is, a standard for morality. Contention 2: God is the standard for morality. But I disagree that a belief in God is the standard.…
I've set everything to the maximum (rounds, voting period, etc) as I am very interested in everyone's opinion. I have not specified an opponent, so anyone may join in. Now on to my argument. I am an atheist (as my profile will confirm). This argument (personally) stems from a…
Against
INTRODUCTION As is my job as the Con "speaker," I do oppose this resolution and argue that without a belief in God one cannot be moral. My argument does not simply rest on the Bible, although I may reference it in future rounds. My argument will rest primarily on the…
It seems the debate has ended. Shame, it had a lot of potential. All good things must end
1876.
Theism is more rational than atheism
For
"Technically, you're last two arguments state that there is possibility that god exists, which is useless because there must also be a possibility that the big bang happened and etc. Unless you apply Pascal's Wager, these arguments are useless and therefore irrelevant." Yes,…
"The topic in which we are debating is if theism is more rational than atheism. I would assume by this you mean that the belief is god/s is more based on logic and reason than the lack of. By the burden of proof, it is up to you to make points, and for me to disprove them, as…
Against
*most of this is quoting, its not actually that long* The Bible is a self contradicting, factually flawed book written most defiantly by history 'trolls' who wish to influence people. I wish to ask you this: Your arguments obviously show you are a firm believer of the Pascal's…
"I'm not claiming what God is based on, I'm claiming the BELIEF in God is more logical than not believing in God (Or Gods, any kind should do)." Very well, then. Just need that to be clear. To address: "Not at all. Only 1/3 of my argument is based on the safety of belief, and…
1877.
Atheism is an illogical position
For
I think this is a forfeit? Unfornatute, I was looking forward to a good debate.
I'm not sure if my opponent is a troll or not.... but since he has the burden of proof, he needs to provide arguments during the last round, or he has lost the debate.
Against
Ok ok fine fine fine,your arguements are so good and I have now officially believe that atheism is illogical thanks for pointing that out you win this arguement and this is so embarrasing,I hope my friends don't know about this ,I am officially a 100& agnostics,you win you win…
I think atheism is quite logical,any creationist or any other religion dudes that think either way,and if you feel that way than come on show me why atheism is wrong is illogical?
1878.
The universe needs a creator, so God exists
For
Happily, it seems that Con and I agree on most points - - We agree the term "cause" is an acceptable synonym for "creator" in this debate. - We agree BoP is shared, meaning we will operate on preponderance of the evidence, or, what is most likely to be true. - We agree the Big…
The universe needs a creator = The universe needs a cause According to Con's definition, a creator is a person or thing that creates. If we build on that and accept an appropriate definition of "creates" is "to cause to begin or come into being," then I propose an acceptable…
Against
It seems that my opponent is under the misapprehension that I agreed to their first two premises. In fact, I do have some objections on which I shall elaborate below, I just did not mention them in the previous round. My sources require no subscription, for I have gone through…
Debate clarifications: a. First if all, I would like to apologise for not elaborating more on the term "Creator". The definitions I gave were the following: 1. a person or thing that creates. 2. the Creator, God. By Dictionary.com My opponent stated that "Creator" equals…
1879.
Atheism and theism are the same position
For
bop was concede by contect of pro negating resulitve resulutions within the idea of resolving bop that needed a haircut..
if you disbelieve my claim that i am wearing a hat right now, believe that i am not wearing a hat, what is your position on my claim? and how is it justified
Against
This is a challenge to @vi_spex.DefinitionsAtheism - lack of belief in God or godsTheism - belief in God
Once more, this argument is irrelevant to the resolution. Pro's BoP is to prove that atheism and theism are the same, but Pro has already conceded. The resolution is negated.
1880.
The concept of God is logically impossible
For
meeeeeeeh
fat fish swimming
Against
When I make a decision about the possibility or impossibility of God, it seems necessary to implement tests to decide which is more likely, that God exists or that God does not exist. In this particular debate, "it is possible that god is not possible", the possibility that God…
Any current paradigm not positing a God as necessary will end up with true intrinsic logical contradictions that are systemic and incompatible with contemporary science and philosophy as they attempt to answer the primary questions of life relating to origin, meaning, morality…
1881.
Thomas Aquinas's five proofs for God are logically sound
For
Hi, Most of our misunderstandings seem to stem from your belief that time itself cannot have a point of origin.Hence many of your conclusions about the nature of the mind and the nature of objective good seems to come from that. I am an engineering student who took an advanced…
Hello,I think I underestimated the time and number of words an argument of this magnitude would require.I apologize if the arguments seem a little disjoint at times.For the first 3 ways, aptly summarized as the cosmological argument, I would like to support it using 2…
Against
The end
Firstly, the universe can never remain in a fixed position because of gravity. You seem to be conflating the objects in the universe with the universe itself. If the expansion is uniform the center of gravity in the universe will not change presuming there is even a finite…
1882.
Religion cannot be a valid argument in debates
For
I agree with you up until the point where you begin to state that logic and reasoning is a by-product of blind faith. A very quick search on Dictionary.com leads me to a definition for blind faith: "belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination." I believe…
I am not saying that religion is a bad thing. On the contrary, it has inspired millions in both good and bad ways. But we're not here to argue about religion's effects. We're here to argue if you can or can't make a position based on blind faith. I'm taking for granted in this…
Against
My opponent did not respond...so I'll just restate my main point. My opponent argues that blind faith should not be allowed in debate. I have shown that blind faith, the assumption of certain, unquestionable premises, is key to all types of thinking. Thus, it is a key part of…
"A very quick search on Dictionary.com leads me to a definition for blind faith: "belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination." I believe that the lack of perception eliminates logic from blind faith." I'm sure that since you've said you agree to some…
1883.
Atheism is more reasonable than theism
For
As per debate rules, Con's second forfeit is regarded as a concession of the debate.
Unfortunately, Con has forfeited. As stated in debate rules, this means he automatically loses the conduct point. I only hope he can return in time for us to continue the debate. Extend argument from last round.
Against
I appreciate Unitedandy's challenge and I accept. I agree with all the rules and regulations put forth by my opponent. I think he has done a good job in the structuring of this debate, I see no need for any improvement or add-ons. I look forward to a pleasant(though heated)…
1884.
Naturalism explains objective morality better than God does
For
Thank you, phantom, for participating in this debate with me. Morality and God are my two favorite subjects to discuss and debate, so without further ado, let's get to it...My Argument for Objective MoralityYou may be right, phantom, in that this debate could end up focusing on…
For the purposes of this debate, objective morality is assumed to exist (my opponent and I agree they do). I will be arguing objective morality is more plausibly explained through naturalism. Phantom will be arguing that objective morality is more plausibly explained through…
Against
I will try to be as clear, un-confusing and straight forward as my opponent has been. This round I will not be directing any effort into proving that naturalism is not a plausible explanation for objective morality, in accordance with the debate set-up. I will only be making a…
First, I would like to say, it is a pleasure to debate DakotaKrafick once again. Judging from our last debate I know that he is a formidable opponent. I accept my opponents definitions, though I suspect allot of contention will rest on what "right and wrong" really mean. To…
1885.
The existence of evil proves God must exist
For
I apologize for my minimal response. I was traveling and ran out of time to reply. I had 10 seconds to post a response, but I will reply to my opponent with much greater detail this round. Reply to #1 "How does [my opponent] know that 'nearly every person believes that stealing…
I don't see how you have proven or disproved any of the premises in my argument, therefore I have little to say.
Against
REBUTTALS:"The non-Christian German Philosopher, Immanuel Kant, gives proof for this point in this article"This is an appeal to authority fallacy[1]. Pro just claims Immanuel Kant is right without any explanation. Immanuel Kant does not list the belief in evil in every society.…
My opponent has no substantiated premise. It seems like he has given up, Vote Con. I will spend this round killing all of his arguments that were based on nothing. Please enjoy. #1. "That is true. The opinion of whether something is right or wrong varies from person to person,…
1886.
God is temporal rather than eternal
For
Con says: "Q. Wouldn't that be a contradiction:"My opponent is arguing that "time exists before time exists" this is completely contradictory and must be rejected. ". A. That is ignorance at its plainest. My opponent is saying that one can't be outside of time. .. I think its…
Thank you for your reply. Con says "No I'm arguing that time is Gods creation hence you fail." Con says "Let me make this clear- God is not limited by his own rules and creation ergo God can and I believe that he does exist before time." Con says "It seems that you don't know…
Against
I knew that this is going to happen, anyway here are my arguments: "My opponent making false claims, time and time again about some how my argument was limiting God to creation couldn't hide the fact, that his position is clearly logically false. " I let this one go by "The…
I feel like I'm talking to a dead man but hey at least you're trying. Anyway what is it that you can't comprehend? Ill try my best to be clear and easily understandable, if I fail now I don't know what I will have to do in the 5th round: 1. God is logical Therefore God cannot…
1887.
The burden of proof should not rest on atheism
For
1. The argument of oppression: God claims are more than that of a passive being but of also his of divine rules, commandments and explanations. It is irrational to claim that others are to be judged under such rule without first proving them true. The monotheist religions have…
Critical thinking Tips from the Hill!!! (on rationality) The Fool: It is clearly stated in the acceptance round that; Rational/reasonable: To think incoherence with logic, therefore it follows by necessity that irrational is with logic/math aka Ratiocination. Con said…
Against
Burden of proof is on The Fool to demonstrate as to why it is irrational. Due to character limit, positive arguments will be found within rebuttals. Parmenides's argument of existence My opponent gives three formulations of premise 2: What is not does not exist. I agree with…
Acceptance.
1888.
If atheism is true, morality is entirely subjective
For
I regret only putting three rounds in this debate now that I fully understand how these work. Alas."First, I never argued that continuation of the human species specifically is moral."I understand now, I apologize for misreprespenting you. "Second, the continuation is the vey…
(1)Morality is what is right (Definition) I accept this definition. (2)What is right is what is correct in judgment, action, or opinion (Definition) I accept this as well. (3)Subjectivity is a statement where truth is contingent on opinion. (Definition) Again, accepted.…
Against
My opponent asks if murdering a person to survive is moral. I would say that while that is not the point of this debate, I would say it is as it follows from my syllogysm which I provided in R1. My opponent has not show why this is not true. "So the real queston is why going…
My oponent has accepted all of my points and premises except for #5. (5)To do what is advantageous in survival is 'correct' in that it aids in the continuation of a species. My opponent argues that it is my own personal opinion that the continuation of the species is correct.…
1889.
Atheism requires faith
For
Yeah m8, in some sense. But I read somewhere someone attending Buddhism classes asked his teacher 'Do you believe in God? Do you think God created the universe?' The reply was something like 'Yes, I do believe in God. God is the universe, the universe is God.' Mindblown >:0
Me too m8. Prof. Richard Dawkins (evolutionary biologist and one of the world's most popular atheists) even said the wisdom may even be good! I've seen lots of atheist Buddhists too. There is some reincarnation stuff, but unlike other religions they say they aren't forced to…
Against
Oh I know Richard Dawkins :) That's an interesting analogy; I'll ponder it. Also, aren't all Buddhists atheists? The Buddha wasn't thought to be a god, he was simply the first man to reach enlightenment, no? I haven't researched Buddhism as much as other religions
Greetings! I like Buddhism. From my understanding, it promotes connection with nature and oneself rather than adherence to dogma or the worship of a god, which I admire. I enjoyed reading the story of Siddhartha. Your thoughts?
1890.
A religious instinct explains much beyond religion itself
For
Resolved: There is a religious instinct that explains much beyond religion. I contend that there is a "religious instinct" which is independent of any particular religion. Every religion is a manifestation of the religious instinct, but not every manifestation is a religion.…
Con argues, "Religion is an attempt to commune with or approach the divine. Almost all cultures engage in this activity not because of a common instinct, but because all people are divine." My interpretation of what Con is saying is that people believe they have something in…
Against
I feel like it's a morning commute from Virginia Beach to Newport News with six-car pile-ups in both bridge-tunnels and the James River Bridge stuck in the lift position. If I want to make it to work, I'm either taking back roads all the way out to Richmond and turning around,…
Man is born aware of the divinity of all life, and religion is his attempt to facilitate and synthesize his experience. What does it mean to be divine? Wiktionary offers four definitions: 1. of or pertaining to a god 2. eternal, holy, or otherwise supernatural. 3. of superhuman…
1891.
Inalienable rights can be justified in an atheistic world
For
My opponent conceded
Thanks for the quick reply. First on my opponents The Universality of Rights When I say the American government, it is made in the resolution that the "American concept" of american rights. Now I was proving my point by saying that the "American" government regulates and…
Against
I'll make quick work of this. The Universality of Rights Within the third paragraph Pro immediately drops the universality of rights by saying that "the possesor [sic] will have to be the American government. " If rights are restricted to the political lines on the map, they…
Full Topic: The resolution states, "In an atheistic world, the American concept of inalienable rights is based on sound reasoning". That is to say, that in the absence of deities or a higher power, the concept that life, liberty, and property are universally inalienable is…
1892.
Only humans can meaningfully oppose religion
For
that is just not an equation but babble.. are you trying to say religion is not humanity? cuz thats my position
huh religion=religion
Against
Religions oppose each other. Religions are not humanity.
Religion=/=humanity
1893.
Religion and rules are needed to tame human nature
For
Religion always give the lesson of peace,love and care. These are the people who make alteration . Don't judge religion by bad followers. Religion shall not to be blamed. Let me ask you, do any religion put war ? No; religion give the lesson of peace and advise to create an…
You already agreed that the religion which you called nurture has the role in structuring our morals. what our biology says I will explain to you below . Human structure the right or wrong with his own personal perceptions which suits him. Only religion or rules developed by…
Against
still misinterpreting I say. The nazis believed what they where doing was right in gods eyes. And who says God picks sides? you've just contradicted yourself. Secondly you're lying for saying women are treated like "queens". Thousands are dying now for the reasons I've pointed…
I never said nurture was religion but may have a relation ship with it. Environment is how we are raised. However by your claim there cant be any morals without being raised in a religious environment. I find that hard to believe, if anything religion has done more harm than…
1894.
Atheism is based on faith
For
"This debate is getting off-track. The topic is not atheism itself, but whether or not it is based on faith." Actually it's not really. I argued that Atheism is not based on faith. Allow me to some up my argument: The Bible is historically accurate, and this is a proven…
"The burden is not on atheists to offer proof that there is no such thing as God." Yes it is. It is ludicrous to say you do not have to prove something you openly claim. You claim there is no God. Atheism: the doctrine or belief that there is no God. You say there is no God?…
Against
This debate is getting off-track. The topic is not atheism itself, but whether or not it is based on faith. "You say there is no God? Prove it. You claim it, you have to prove it. Saying you are waiting for evidence for God's existence is more Agnosticism than Atheism. An…
"If you can prove there is no God, then this argument will bear weight. There is not enough scientific evidence to prove or disprove the existence of a God, so it takes faith to believe either way." I have had this debate many times. The burden is not on atheists to offer proof…
1895.
Objective morality makes atheism improbable
For
Carry all points.
The rest of Con's argument is in the comments section (I urge you to read it—it is the initial part of his argument). - Some initial remarks of mine Unfortunately, it appears that Con will not be contributing to rounds 3 and 4. However, I'm afraid that a three-round debate with…
Against
Atheism is Consonant with Objective MoralityI will assume he's never read atheist philosopher Sam Harris's recent book on objective morality through objective facts entitled The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values. [1] He also fails to take into account that…
I accept. I ask pro to post quickly, as I live in the United States and need to sleep soon. These 60 minute rounds are going to cause me to FF.
1896.
God's omniscience is incompatible with human free will
For
Thank you Con.Con is absolutely right that there is no EXPLICIT contradiction is a statement that God`s omniscience contradicts the notion that we have free will. I was not aware of the context of the usage of the word EXPLICIT here. This however means nothing for this debate…
I thank Con for their opening argument and rebuttal in a round that was not meant for rebutting but only for opening arguments. I don't mind this however. I like it when they attack me right away. REBUTTALSMy opponent claims that there is no EXPLICIT contradiction in the…
Against
[Burden of proof, what is important what is not] Lets be clear here, Pro can ask as many questions as they want, they can dispute time travel, aliens and what ever. They can make all the demands they want but that counts for nothing, at the end of the day the burden is all on…
[Explicit vs Implicit contradictions] Consider where Pro says. .. "My opponent claims that there is no EXPLICIT contradiction in the existence of an all knowing God and free will. This cannot be simply asserted. " Well actually I can, when you understand the difference between…
1897.
God's existence is a logical truth
For
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.
Extend all my points across. I await my opponent's reply. 100 character long debate posting. There we go.
Against
It is neither logical nor true that the deity worshipped by the abrahamic faiths is "God". First, the whole notion of divine creator is unnecessary, religon is a throw back to the time before science and reason, since that time, we have gained a rather good understanding of our…
1898.
Debating whether God exists is futile
For
It is pointless and utterly futile to debate an issue with no answer. The god debate is in a rut. It has dug itself into a hole of overused, outdated, child like arguments which will never get anywhere. Even the greatest intellects haven't made any progress. I think its true to…
Against
Pro has yet again failed to respond, and has forfeited 3 rounds. There's nothing I can do except to apologise to the readers in advance.
It seems Pro has again failed to post.Extend all arguments.
1899.
The Kalam cosmological argument for God is invalid
For
I would like to start out by pointing out that Con has engaged in intellectual dishonesty in both of the rounds so far:"If the person is knowingly aware that there may be additional evidence but purposefully fails to check, and then acts as though the position is confirmed,…
2. producing the desired result; effective: a valid antidote for gloom. 3. having force, weight, or cogency; authoritative. I used the terms invalid/valid in the colloquial sense, where valid is synonymous with sound (definition 1 of Con's dictionary reference). Rebuttal…
Against
Thank you, mecap, for not throwing a fit and running away, as I'm sure many people would do. I'll start by fixing a typo I made in the first round. P1 of Cliffton's argument should read "P → ~Q" rather than "P → Q." Pro is trying to have his cake and eat it too. In his attempt…
Thank you, Mecap, for issuing this challenge. I look forward to a competitive and thought provoking debate. I'll begin by admitting that Pro's argument is indeed valid. It's fairly simple, and formalized it runs thus: (1) P → Q (2) Q → ~P (3) Q (4) ~P (5) G → P (6) ~G Now let's…
1900.
Spirituality can explain the mechanics of reality
For
I concede to your point, my claim (humans' superior evolution) was indeed subjective. Well here I am. Beat down by your stone cold logic. I totally see the rationale for every numinous related activity being relaxation just as meaningless as that monkey raping a frog to death.…
Biologists estimate that 99% of all Earth's species have gone extinct. Most of them millions of years ago. Since none of them left any monuments of their knowledge we're the most advanced species by default. What natural force singled us out to have the biological capacity to…
Against
Empathy my friend. You felt empathy. No numinous. Just a stark realization that "Every person or animal you will ever meet will one day lose everything it ever loved. So be nice to them in the meantime."-----Sam Harris
Nothing can be called numinous. How's that for ya. That bit towards the end was an elephant sized heap of emotional bs. Your four categories of existence: breeding, resting, sustaining, maintaining... And the "willingness" to seek more than the monotonous cycle of life. File…

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