The PPE Debate Union at FSV UK
The PPE Debate Union offers a space for students to critically engage with complex ideas, develop their reasoning skills, and practice public speaking at FSV UK. The Union is student-led by a dedicated organising committee of seven second-year students. It focuses on Oxford-style debates as part of the signature format for its events while also exposing the participants to various types of debate formats during bi-weekly meetings.
“Words are powerful; may ours inspire action, not just applause.”
Mission, Vision, and Aims
The mission of the Debate Union is to promote accessible and high-quality debates in FSV UK, fostering a commitment to structured argumentation, ethical reasoning, and intellectual engagement with one another. The Union promotes this mission through the provision of workshops, practice sessions, and themed debate events that allow students to collaboratively sharpen their impact in the face of crafting compelling arguments, analysing evidence, and responding to the arguments of others.
The Union aims to host three significant debates per semester to fill the auditorium with first-year students participating across the Faculty, not just PPE. The Union believes that through the elevation of multiple student voices, it is building a legacy of sustainable debating culture led by first-year students and fuelling curiosity, support for each other, and rigorous discussion about themselves and their world.
What makes our Oxford-style Debate Special?
Oxford-style debates are a fundamental part of the PPE Debate Union. The formal debate consists of two opposing sides, the affirmative and the opposition, giving structured arguments, rebuttals, and responding to audience questions. In this debate format, every speech is timed, arguments are carefully crafted beforehand, and every point has to be supported by evidence.
A particularly important aspect of these debates is the audience: they can ask questions, challenge arguments, and when the debate ends, they vote for their preferred house via a QR system. The audience is, therefore, involved in a debate that is not only intellectually stimulating but one that engages them in providing constructive assessment. This structure is unique and allows students to gain public speaking confidence while developing their capacity for civil and reasoned persuasion.
Our Recent Debate
On Wednesday, October 8, we held the first bi-weekly debate of our academic year, and the participants debated on topics regarding “Nuclear Energy” and “Death Tourism.” The debate format was run in a Lincoln-Douglas style and consisted of groups of students challenging each other.
Foreseeing
This semester, the Union will maintain its traditional model of providing flagship Oxford-style debates and, as part of the weekly event, will improve novice debaters’ skill level to ensure they develop a stronger comfort level in debating and other forms of thinking. The next flagship debate will be modelled after Karl Popper’s style of debating with an emphasis on teamwork, evidence, and organised reasoning themes concerning “Unpaid Internships” and “Diplomatic Weapon? – Sanctions.”
Become a Participant in our Debates!
Whether you are a novice debater excited to engage with debating motions, or if you are interested in moderating, or if you would prefer to spectate as a member of the audience, the PPE Debate union would love to and would be happy to include you – please follow us on Instagram at @ppe_debates where we will keep everyone updated on the next few events, and where you always have the opportunity to engage with the community of thinkers, doers, and people who put ideas into action.