Debate and Discussion
For more formal discussion for politics, religion, current affairs and other matters
364 topics in this forum
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- 1 reply
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I found this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BxmbIGQBX4 and I found it interesting and thought it might be helpful for tok too... especially for the religion AOK. What do you guys think?
Last reply by XeoKnight, -
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Hey guys, Okay, lately there has been this issue with posting too many facebook pictures online that has been bugging me since the past weeks and I need your opinions to get peace of mind. Do you know these people who always constantly update pictures every single day? They go out ONCE for a party and take 200 (minimum) useless, ridiculous, similar looking, lip-pouting pictures of themselves and their friends. At the beginning it was okay, but then I realized almost everyone is doing it and it has started to affect me :/ For example, i feel like I need to prove to others and "compete" with them to show that I have a "life" if you get what I mean. I mean seriously, I have…
Last reply by IBnJamSandwich, -
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Recently in my school there's been a lot of talk over Ukraine and whether this country should accept the deal that the EU has offered or not. Personally, I believe that if Ukraine accepted to join the EU it'd gain access to many possibilities which would - although not immediately, in the long run - be advantageous to the country's economy: money funds to finance the building of new infrastructures, European control over social laws... Most importantly, considered that Europe has a tight grip on democratic principles, there's a big chance that the rights of Ukrainian citizens would be much more protected and taken into consideration that they are at the moment. Additiona…
Last reply by Zarathustra, -
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Hi, I was doing some research on TOK and I was wondering if language affects stereotypes. Do you think language has an effect on stereotypes and generalisations?
Last reply by Clause, -
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Okay, so this question has been bugging me today and I need help to solve this. Say you were orbiting the Earth around its equator, if you were to travel in the opposite direction of the Earth's spin around itself, faster than the speed of light, could you possibly spin enough times that you travelled to the past? Presuming that you can travel fast enough that you can orbit the Earth once without it even moving. What do you think? Circumference of the Earth around the equator: 25,000 miles Speed of the Earth's spin around itself: the equator has 0° latitude so the speed is cos(0) x 25000/24 = 1041.666667 milesph Speed of light: 186,000 mi/sec Sources: http://imagine.gsfc…
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Opinions on the Greek Economic Crisis from the perspective of an economic analyst? How did it spiral into how it is now, how is it now, what possible effects would a Grexit have, etc..? We are supposed to have a round table discussion and I am assuming the role of an economic analyst not of Greece on the subject of Greece's debt crisis. Basically, I will be explaining the effects of the crisis on the world and the EU as well as economic solutions for it.
Last reply by Black Bird Lockheed, -
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Hey Guys, So not sure if you have heard of this, but I recently read a couple of articles on BBC and Al Jazeera talking about this new expansion of settlements on the West Bank amid peace talks between Israel and Palestine. What do you guys think about this? I don't believe I know enough to properly voice an opinion, but I would still be interested to learn what you think and why. Articles are here if interested: BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23656904 Al Jazeera: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/08/2013811125817611436.html
Last reply by Fiz, -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2319145/A-mother--aged-15-Thought-horrified-stories-schoolgirl-mums-Then-read-jaw-dropping-interview.html The article above ^ has the story. Basically, a 12-year-old girl from Nottingham got pregnant and gave birth. She then had sex with the same guy 10 months after the first baby was born, and now has a second one at the age of 15. The father has seen the first baby once and hasn't seen the second one ever. He also allegedly has children with three or four other sexual partners. (Take the overt father-bashing with a grain of salt since this is the Daily Mail.) The UK is currently funding this girl and her mother (who is singlehande…
Last reply by r1111, -
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So, we have the English only position believing that english should be the main language in english speaking countries, its a national identity. But what is the position behind bilingualism? Is it a loss of identity? Or is it a gain of another culture? For me it is a gain of another culture as it is for my fellow IB-ers. Not only do we have the peruvian culture but we have the british culture due to our teachers. What do you think? Is it good to be bilingual? Or is it bad to be bilingual?
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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If anybody has been following the news over the last year or so, perhaps you'll have seen the case of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old boy walking home to his dad's house who was shot on the street by an elderly neighbour who thought he looked 'threatening'. The neighbour claims that he was sitting in his car holding his pistol when he saw Trayvon walk past and decided to pursue him. Trayvon then punched him and tried to grab his gun - so he shot him. Whether this tale is true or not, the fact remains that this neighbour was NOT arrested for 6 weeks, even though the circumstances of what happened were unclear and he'd obviously committed a murder regardless of the defence b…
Last reply by klhollomon, -
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To clarify: Scotland is holding a referendum as to whether Scotland should cease being part of the UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and instead be just Scotland, whilst the UK becomes the United Kingdom of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Vote and elaborate below Unless you don't have an opinion because the information is conflicting or you've never heard of it in which case... join the rest of us.
Last reply by Morriazh, -
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Hi guys. So I need some help. I need to incorporate some more viewpoints into my ToK presentation, and while I have already posted the same thing in the TOK forum, I thought the topic would be relevant here as well, because I find it pretty debatable and interesting. I was hoping you guys could help me out- I just wanted to know your viewpoint on the topic of political propaganda and its consequences. I'm basically discussing the role that propaganda plays in shaping people and their outlooks. Here are some other relevant questions you could consider: Is all propaganda the same?What are the ways to know propaganda?Why does propaganda matter? Thanks guys, I really appr…
Last reply by under-cover, -
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I was having this discussion today with someone and was wondering what you guys think. So, is there a true and undeniable difference between being a realist or a pessimist? Or are they actually the same thing, but seen in different lights?
Last reply by -._._.-, -
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The article is here. What it says is that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has decided that sentencing offenders to life in jail will breach their human rights if they don't have at least a possibility of being released (review). No matter how heinous the crime committed, there has to be some chance for the prisoner to be released. Sound off below. EDIT: Just to be clear, they aren't being granted the right to review on the basis of new evidence or some such. No these people have confessed that they have committed these crimes, or it has been proven beyond all doubt that they have and they're not appealing this decision. The review is being given to release them…
Last reply by Arrowhead, -
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Alright guys, It's time to hear what you guys all think about one of the most pressing issues today. Should the United States, or any other country cough* (France) cough* intervene in the Syria conflict BECAUSE of the use of Chemical Weapons? My question is not to fix the civil war, my question is specifically related to the use of chemical weapons. Discuss!
Last reply by Luka Petrovic, -
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Do you do good for the sake of others feeling good or do you expect something out of it?
Last reply by JP1IB, -
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Three teens shot and killed an Australian man visiting in Oklahoma City because they got "bored". What. WHAT. There are so many things wrong with this sentence it just boggles the mind, and I had to ask for opinions. Where do I even start? Here's the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/oklahoma-police-say-australian-baseball-player-killed-on-street-because-teenagers-were-bored/2013/08/19/cc4f5dd4-092d-11e3-89fe-abb4a5067014_story.html I'm curious to know.. Obviously this isn't a reasonable thing to do, but why do you think they feel justified in taking a stranger's life like that?Should they be tried as adults or juveniles?Your reactions in generalDISCUSS
Last reply by Luka Petrovic, -
- 37 replies
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Through the decades and numerous tragic shootings, the 2nd amendment has protected the right of almost any american to bear arms. Despite the constant onslaught of opposition and gun violence, powerful lobbyist groups and right-wing america have preserved this right. That being said in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, political analysts say that change is in the air. Do you agree or disagree?
Last reply by Luka Petrovic, -
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Well we all know that Africa is not a good place to live in; with all its human rights issue, illiteracy, crime etc.But who do you think is to blame, or at least to take a majority to blame for these "darknesses"? Our next debating topic is "that dictators are at the heart of darkness of Africa", in which, I do agree with it, but what are your thoughts?
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hi Friends, Myself and my friend were discussing that which countries are more humanitarian in nature. I am supporting Germany and he is supporting USA. He argued that Nazi Germany killed 6 million Jews ( I believe that it is the fault of Nazi Party and not the fault of German public). I argued back that USA dropped atom bomb on Japan and people are still suffering from its after effects. Now my friend is constantly arguing that Germany's act on Jews were unjustified ( which I agree) but he said that USA did the right thing becoz Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. But after WW2 Germany had adopted many humanitarian laws such as abolishing death penalty, torture by police et…
Last reply by Brienna, -
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Lately in the news a hot topic has been the potential idea of Boycotting Sochi, Russian Vodka or in the least showing some solidarity for the LGBT community in Russia with rainbow flags embroidered into their uniforms. Although Russia's law is harsh and worthy of some form of protest many ask why is all of this attention paid to Russia's Olympics and It's repressive, meanwhile other atrocities, violations of human rights and repressive governments remain untouched. In the realm of international sports China's Beijing Olympics in 2008 could have been boycotted for its human rights violations. In Qatar it is not only illegal to be publicly homosexual as it is in Russia, b…
Last reply by Luka Petrovic, -
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Why is Computer Science not a second language? It seems as though the IB would not like students like myself to become the next Bill gates or Mark Zuckerberg. Whilst second languages might be important and it makes IB students well rounded, in the inflating world of technology learning a computer based language such as Java or C++ would be more advantageous for IB students. Knowing how to speak spanish or french is not going to help students get a job or create the next facebook. I believe that the Second Language Section (group 2) of the IB should include Computer Science as an option. There is no argument that computer Science is not a language of its own. It has the…
Last reply by elaifyanre, -
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So my teacher's test questions always come from the question bank. She always said 'from the question bank' but I never bothered to look for it, until now and then I found it. :/ Do you think it would be morally acceptable to study these questions? To share the discovery with my classmates?
Last reply by Sandwich, -
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Hey IBs, This isn't exactly new news, people have been talking about the possibilities of immortality for thousands of years (anyone found that fountain of youth yet?!?!) and its been thoroughly researched in our modern times as well. Here is an article about a team headed by a Russian business tycoon who believe in the next 20 years, humans will be able to be immortal, and after that they will be able to exists as a conscious being on the internet o_0 So what are your thoughts on the ethical implications of people being able to live nearly indefinitely, who will be able to get this service? How many people will take up permanent residence and not make room for incoming …
Last reply by Black Bird Lockheed, -
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Hey there IBs! I'm surprised I haven;t seen a thread on this yet so I just wanted to see what are your thoughts on the recent light shed on the NSA's huge surveillance network, FBI use of drones on US soil and the moral or ethical implications behind Snowden's actions.
Last reply by Black Bird Lockheed, -
- 10 replies
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Despite having very little media coverage a relatively large demonstration called "March against Monsanto" occurred across the world in 50 countries with protests against monsanto in many cities both large and small. Do you think Monsanto and its work in genetic modification are problematic, dangerous or are perfectly justifiable and in fact beneficial?
Last reply by Luka Petrovic, -
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Hey fellow IB students/alumni! I am/was an IB student (Exams 2013). I'm also the editor-in-chief of a local Teen Paper called Teen Times printed monthly in the Caribbean. This month I'm working on an article that will cover the current protests in Turkey. To make my article more interesting and accurate I'm looking for some students or former students living in Turkey who would be willing to provide their opinion on this topic. If anyone is interested then please contact me and I can give you more details. Then we can hopefully set a time for an interview I would be very grateful if anyone would be willing to help me!
Last reply by Didenur, -
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Lately I have been asking myself whether the IBDP is as open-minded as I first thought. What I find difficult to understand is that neither religion nor faith has a part in the syllabus. With cultural understanding as a core of my English Literature and Language I have had the possibility to get knowledge about how people think in other cultures, and how my way of perceiving might be different from yours. I do believe religion as a subject would allow me to do the same. The issue and reason that I made this thread in the first place is following: By the current fundamental theorems within science we are not able to explain how the universe was created. We do not yet under…
Last reply by Fredrik Lingås, -
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Hey guys, I want to do engineering in university but I want to be challenged throughout the four years. Therefore I'd like to know which engineering degree is the most demanding.
Last reply by Nigel Isaiah Murillo, -
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Do you take an exam? Do you do an exam? Do you sit an exam? ...or in the USA perhaps you write the exam? Thereby confusing the rest of the world into thinking that you are indeed the authentic author of the exam paper. ...or maybe you give the exam? I don't even know if this is a legitimate phrase or a common error, unless you're somehow the invigilator passing out the exam papers. The thing is, whilst I sit in the exam, admittedly I don't sit on it. I also don't take it away. So god knows my words make no sense either. So what do you do?
Last reply by Emmi, -
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What did everybody think of the finale? Is John Hurt Doctor #12 after Matt Smith... ..or is he Doctor number 9, the 'forgotten/secret' incarnation before Christopher Ecclestone? This theory seems likely when thinking that perhaps this is the incarnation of the Doctor that made the decision to destroy Gallifrey and Timelords/Daleks alike. That makes sense when considering the actual dialogue of the ending... Reminder for you: Doctor: 'I said he was me. I never said he was the Doctor.' Clara: 'I don't understand.' Doctor: 'My name, my real name.. That is not the point. The name I chose was the Doctor. The name you choose, it's like a promise you make to yourself.... he's th…
Last reply by IBfreakingout!, -
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Hi, This is question to every one. Most of the time I hear people claiming that they had seen UFO flying in sky ( in news channels) and also in some books I have seen photos of UFOs taken by civilians. My question to all of you is that these common people are the ones who witness these things then why the astronomers in the whole world are not able to see these things (despite having powerful telescopes, computers etc while the ordinary citizens sees such things.) Any answers?
Last reply by Matsu, -
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So, I plan on becoming a criminal attorney. Defense or prosecution, I really don't know yet. Just wondering people's opinions on the matter of colleges for law.
Last reply by JoeG, -
North Korea scraps all peace treaties with South Korea and threatens the US with a nuclear attack 1 2
by Franz Liszt- 37 replies
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Hey guys, this news popped up just recently, what do you think about think? Could it lead to a world war?
Last reply by alefal, -
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AP Stat Ap human GEO IB USH HL IB eng Sl Ib biology HL Honors french 2 Honors physics honors precalc
Last reply by Arrowhead, -
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Yeah, so I was wondering...I am dead sure about getting into genetics for my undergraduate and also post graduate education... however, i still do not know the career prospects of this field of study besides research... What other jobs lie under this degree of study?
Last reply by Simran Venkatraman, -
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Either buying on iTunes or a physical album, we've seen the infamous "Parental advisory. explicit content" labels. The commonly cited reason for this, and the reasons that helped this legislation pass in court was the immoral and derogatory language. Ultimately the question is, is this the only reason? Rap being a huge part of an american sub-culture some would say has to plays a role. As 2pac once said... "They tryin to keep me out Try to censor what I say cause they don't like what I'm talkin bout So what's wrong with the media today?" ~Tupac
Last reply by Mr45, -
- 3 replies
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Hello, I'm an IB student from Venezuela, the president of my country Hugo Chavez died yesterday and suddenly Venezuela is the spotlight for the international press and community. I think that with the dead of the president its just the first step for a new era, Hugo Chavez divided the country in 2 sides, the officialism (supporters of his government) and the opposition of chavez's government. The government of chavez was full of constitution's violations, human right's violation, bad economic situation, corruption and insecurity "the bright side" was the help for the poor class, his supporters nowadays, he helped them and put them in the "spotlight" I think if he support…
Last reply by dniviE, -
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I've been thinking quite a bit about this lately, but I can't reach a conclusion. If our body were to be cloned, how would our conscience respond? Say, if our brain was cloned, and our old brains were destroyed, would we feel as if we never woke again? Does this mean teleportation of humans isn't possible? If we were to be transferred to a machine, would our old brains have to be incorporated in it to preserve our conscience? Discuss.
Last reply by Nabz, -
- 13 replies
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lan·guage [lang-gwij] noun 1. a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition So, what do you think? Is music a language?
Last reply by Nabz, -
- 6 replies
- 1.8k views
Since the resignation of Pope Benedict the Catholic world has been in a frenzy trying to predict how the next Pope will handle the church's dogmas, scandals and declining church attendance in North America and Europe. What do you think about Benedict's traditionalism, the Second Vatican council and what the church needs to thrive in the future?
Last reply by Luka Petrovic, -
- 5 replies
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Should "dying" languages be preserved and why? Should nations stress language uniformity? I'd like to see your take on these questions. I've been researching both sides of this never-ending debate and at first I found myself completely set on preserving dying languages. However after reading a few very well written articles I find that I don't feel as strongly that dying languages should be preserved. Any thoughts and opinions on the issue?
Last reply by SuperHaitian, -
- 6 replies
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Does anyone feel or think that a lot of the comments over the United States are more stereotypical than fact? From your experiences do you think people are prejudice towards Americans? I think it is obvious that the United States is not well liked anymore throughout the world (especially in certain areas of Central and South America)... I would just like to hear your thoughts over how the United States is portrayed and if you find this accurate... Thanks! Hopefully I didn't sound biased..
Last reply by Miccol, -
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Dear all, My father mentioned today after I asked to go to a family friend's house that 'she has other commitments to other friends, not just you' (or something to that effect). I personally disagree with this statement - being 'friends' means trusting each other enough to be together in spirit, as opposed to constantly having to see each other or communicate with each other (which may be due to reasons like school, work, geographical distance etc). In other words, a true friend would not leave you just because you do not make a conscious effort or 'committed' to talking to them and/or meeting them ALL the time. Let us take what I call an antonym of friendship: work. Work…
Last reply by Zenith, -
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I'm really curious as to what others think of this. I, personally, believe that the rebels should be supported by the UN, but I'd really like to hear from other perspectives.
Last reply by Zenith, -
- 7 replies
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Prescription-only Adderall and its chemical relatives (Vyvanse, Concerta, Dexadrine...) have been the source of widespread debate in colleges everywhere as more and more students are using such medications to treat ADD/ADHD on a daily basis. However, Attention Deficit [Hyperactivity] Disorder is not a communicable disease nor an epidemic, so although legal prescriptions are increasing exponentially every year, it can be reasonably inferred that these are not all legitimate cases of ADD/ADHD. After all, the only way to diagnose the condition is through an easily-faked behavior test with a psychologist. Adderall has been called "steroids for students" and for a good reason,…
Last reply by Arrowhead, -
- 11 replies
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Yesterday night, I was taken my dinner with my family and we were talking about what actresses, actors, singers, football/basketball/tennis/etc. players to... entertain us? They win millions each year of dollars to kick a ball, sing or act when people like teachers who help us in the process of learning win about 2,000-2,500€ per year (in Spain) As an example: Leo Messi (football player of FCBarcelona) at the end of this year, will have, in total, 33 millions of euros So, what do you think about this? Who should win more in relation to what they do and what do they provide us for our life?
Last reply by nycbombers23, -
- 11 replies
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Hello, I have a debate next week. The topic is : Happy and healthy: can we have it all? and my group chose no. I've never done a debate before and I'm not sure what to do. If you could give advice on how to do a good debate and on this topic, that would be great! Thanks!
Last reply by theboro76, -
- 2 replies
- 1.1k views
guys, you have to watch all episodes of 'The Arrival' on youtube etc. Relate to TOK.
Last reply by CkyBlue, -
- 1 reply
- 805 views
Hi guys, we have these extra classes of writing at our school and yesterday our teacher asked us to define respect. Well, we found out nobody could do it properly. So I am just wondering... How would you define the word respect?
Last reply by jess.kk,
