On November 16th, 2016 Garry took part in the Lassonde Debate which was hosted by the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence, the new home of the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University.
The Lassonde Debate welcomed four dynamic debaters to discuss a timely motion: This house believes technology is making us more human. The house lost, but the evening was one of the most memorable in Lassonde history.
“New technology is changing everything – we cannot cling to the concept of humanity” Andrew Keen at the 2016 Lassonde Debate
“Technology is often one size fits all – you can’t customize it to individuals if it’s democratized.” Amber Case at the 2016 Lassonde Debate
To learn more about the Lassonde Debate, please follow the link.
To see more photos from the event, please visit our gallery.
About
The Lassonde Debate brings together the rigour of an Oxford-style debate with the social atmosphere of a Renaissance Salon.
This year, The Lassonde Debate is once again taking on a topical and timely motion that’s relevant to each one of us.
Debate Rules
i. The audience votes to express their preference prior to the Debate.
ii. Each team gives a 5-min opening statement laying out their argument.
iii. Teams can decide how this time is divided between the members on each side.
iv. Interventions are not allowed during opening statements.
v. At the end of the opening statements, each debater will be able to pose one question to the other side.
vi. The Moderator opens the floor for questions from the audience and inter-panel challenges.
vii. The debaters have one final opportunity to sway audience opinion through their 2-minute closing arguments.
viii. The audience delivers the final verdict by voting again whether they are for, against, or undecided on the proposition.
ix. The two sets of results are compared and the winner is determined by which team has swayed more audience members between the two votes.
x. All decisions made by the Moderator are final.
