k Our Mission k
x Why 'Truth through Debate?'
Why debate? Or why bother with the truth at all? It's already a cliche: in an era where information overloads categories, and self-evident 'truths' fracture along individual and party-lines, the only question left to ask seems to be, 'whose truth?'
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The Austin Union does not make a claim to possess 'the Truth,' with a capital-T; rather, we believe that debate -- the adversarial dialectic - - is one of the sure ways to stake it out. Our membership is composed of diverse ontological persuasion; still, we share a conviction that debate, in its myriad forms, possesses a real and unmatched vital power in investigating general and specific truths. While the fine strands of the big picture might always exceed us, debate will always bring us closer to apprehending the whole.
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Thus, we strive toward a culture of debate, and a method of truth. In this way, we aspire to sit someplace in-between epistemology and application, recognizing the inextricable bond between the two, and the responsibility of the earnest actor to mediate between them. You might walk away from one of our events with either a changed mind, or an emboldened belief; regardless, you will have shared in an active process which deepens our engagement with the world and each-other.
W Why not Oxford?
Perhaps the better question is, 'Why Austin?' The Oxford Union has established a legacy of fearless inquiry stretching back over 200 years, being founded under the threat of legal and academic discipline. We consider ourselves honored to share in this tradition, bringing forward the many lights of free speech into the present conversation.
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The center stage has shifted, though, and we recognize the emergence of a similar landscape which made the Oxford Union necessary. Speech today is besieged on many fronts, technological, political, or otherwise; you might harbor the the boldest opinions, but our social infrastructure ensures they will never be faced down. Whether in the digital town-square, or on the standard college campus -- the feedback loop prevails.
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We are founded to break this destructive cycle, and reassert the institution of debate as the higher way. To catch flame in the modern era, however, we are bringing the conversation into the eye of the storm: Austin. The spirit of innovation must brought to our schools of debate, leading us beyond parliamentary exercises; likewise, the unbounded progress of our age must be tempered by careful and cogent conversation.
& A Renewed Vision
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( Brass Tacks
Lofty ambitions aside -- what does a debate society actually do? And what has the Austin Union actually done?
4 Further questions?
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