Editing Debate (section)

{{Short description|Formal conversation, often between opposing viewpoints, on a topic}}
{{other uses}}
{{redirect|Debater|the artificial intelligence project|Project Debater}}

[[File:Petrus alphonsi dialogues.jpg|right|upright|thumb|13th-century illustration of a Jew and a Christian debating in a work by the Jewish convert [[Petrus Alphonsi]]]]
'''Debate''' is a process that involves formal [[discourse]], discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a [[Discussion moderator|moderator]] and an audience. In a debate, [[argument]]s are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historically, debates have occurred in public meetings, academic institutions, debate halls, [[English coffeehouses in the 17th and 18th centuries|coffeehouses]], competitions, and [[Deliberative assembly|legislative assemblies]].<ref>''The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'', 4th ed., 1993 p. 603.</ref> Debates have also been conducted for educational and recreational purposes,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rodger |first1=D |last2=Stewart-Lord |first2=A |title=Students' perceptions of debating as a learning strategy: A qualitative study |journal=Nurse Education in Practice |date=2019 |volume=42 |page=102681 |doi=10.1016/j.nepr.2019.102681 |pmid=31805450 |doi-access=free }}</ref> usually associated with educational establishments and debating societies.<ref name=CAF>{{cite web|last1=Al-Mahrooqi & Tabakow|first1=R. & M.|title=Effectiveness of Debate in ESL/EFL-Context Courses in the Arabian Gulf: A Comparison of Two Recent Student-Centered Studies in Oman and in Dubai, U.A.E.|url=http://www.21caf.org/uploads/1/3/5/2/13527682/33_hrd-730-tabakow_ed2_fmt_logo.pdf|website=21caf.org|publisher=21st Century Academic Forum|access-date=22 October 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304142004/http://www.21caf.org/uploads/1/3/5/2/13527682/33_hrd-730-tabakow_ed2_fmt_logo.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> These debates emphasize logical consistency, factual accuracy, and emotional appeal to an audience.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Alex |date=2016-08-06 |title=Why debating still matters |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/aug/06/why-debating-still-matters |access-date=2023-03-21 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Lindemann |first=Erika |title=The Debating Societies: Electronic Edition. |url=https://docsouth.unc.edu/true/chapter/chp05-02/chp05-02.html#gsc.tab=0 |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=docsouth.unc.edu}}</ref> Modern competitive debate also includes rules for participants to discuss and decide upon the framework of the debate (how it will be judged).<ref name=":4" />

The term "debate" may also apply to a more continuous, inclusive, and less formalized process through which issues are explored and resolved across a range of agencies and among the [[general public]]. For example, the [[European Commission]] in 2021 published a ''Green Paper on Ageing'', intended to generate such a debate on "policies to address the challenges and opportunities of [[ageing]]" in upcoming years.<ref>European Commission, [https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2021-06/green_paper_ageing_2021_en.pdf Green Paper on Ageing], COM (2021) 50 final, adopted on 27 January 2021, accessed 9 May 2024</ref> [[Pope Francis]] has also referred to the "need for forthright and honest debate" on society and the environment in his 2015 [[encyclical letter]] ''[[Laudato si']]''.<ref>Pope Francis, [https://www.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si_en.pdf Laudato si'], paragraph 16, published 24 May 2015, accessed 9 May 2024</ref>