Flip Side of the Coin

We continue our conversation around fossil fuels and why critics advocate lessening our dependence on them.  We look at fossil fuels' effect on our environment and how greenhouse gasses work. We also look into the risk where experts expect we will eventually run out of fossil fuels and need to find replacement energy sources before we run out of fuel. Additionally fossil fuels are not found e...

Today we begin looking at the arguments in defense of fossil fuels and why some people are hesitant to reduce our dependence on them as our main source of energy.  Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) currently account for 80% of the world's energy. The reason for this is because fossil fuels are easy to store and they are reliable energy sources that can produce energy efficiently. Thes...

We continue our discussion on solar and wind energy and this week we look at the promise and potential that these two renewable energy sources bring to the table. Solar and wind energy tap into natural phenomenon and harness the energy that is naturally occurring in our world around us.  Solar and wind energy have incredible potential to help redefine our energy portfolio, and they carry the benef...

We begin a discussion on the pros and cons of different energy sources that we use today. Today we begin by looking at Solar and Wind, specifically, some of the most commonly brought up challenges that these two energy sources face when looking at expansion.  Solar and wind energy are green (or renewable) energy sources that are gaining popularity and are becoming more widely adopted, but they hav...

We continue looking at the issue of controlled burning as a method of conserving and protecting wildland. Controlled burning was not a method that became widely adopted in modern ecological theory until the mid 20th century, but has gained popularity in recent decades.  We look at some reasons why people support controlled burning and look at an example of a real life wildfire who's impact wa...

Today we begin looking at the issue of controlled burning as a method of wildland conservation. Controlled burning is the practice of removing potential fuel for wildfires by setting a specified area on fire under carefully controlled conditions in an effort to reduce wildfires.  There are areas of the United States that do not use controlled burning as a practice very often, and we look into some...

We continue our discussion on the difficult and complex  topic of assisted suicide. Today we take the position opposed to assisted suicide and explore some of the reasons people may be opposed to allowing it.  We start by looking at the real life case of Alan Nichols, a Canadian man who used Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) to end his life in 2019. His case sparked a nation-wide de...

Today we begin a discussion on the complex and emotional topic of assisted suicide, where we will examine some arguments for and against it. Assisted suicide involves providing individuals, who are often facing a terminal illness or severe chronic pain, the means to end their life.  Today we look at the argument in support of assisted suicide by looking at a real-life example in the case of Britta...

We continue our discussion on whether we should have age limits for presidential candidates. With our current and most recent presidents being the oldest on record, many are asking the question if it is time to consider adding an upper age limit to who can hole the office of President of the United States. Today we take the position that we should not impose any sort of limit on presidents. We loo...

Today we begin exploring the growing debate over whether there should be age limits for presidential candidates. With the recent presidential debate, and with the most recent two presidents being the oldest in our nation's history, many people are asking whether or not we should impose a maximum age limit for presidential candidates.  Today we take the position in favor of imposing such a lim...

This week we continue our discussion on streaming. This week we take the position that streaming is improving our storytelling by encouraging studios and producers to create more innovative and exciting content as a way of outperforming rival platforms.  Because of this fierce competition, streamers are investing more into their content, and are more likely to give the greenlight to concepts that...

Today we start the exploration of streaming and how it has fundamentally shifted the TV and film industries. We will specifically look at why many argue that streaming has resulted in an overall degradation of quality in TV and film.  We look at streaming's business model, how revenue is generated, and how streaming has shifted the focus of entertainment from a focus on quality to an emphasis...

Today we continue our conversation around risks of bias in AI. We look at how architects can address the risk of AI models adopting bias by regularly maintaining and auditing AI models for any sort of fault or weakness in their decision making. We talk about the importance of regularly updating AI models and how it can address any sort of bias inherent in the model as well as help improve its effe...

AI is becoming more and more ingrained into processes we use everyday. Today we start a discussion about the concern that AI will carry and perpetuate inherent bias in its analysis and therefore may produce discriminatory results.  We look at how AI can adopt bias, including bias inherent in the training data, as well as the risk the model may adopt the subjectivity of its human architects. we loo...

Today we change gears and rather than looking at an issue and providing two sides of that issue, we begin building a toolkit for having these difficult conversations with our friends and neighbors.  Today we look at three questions to ask when you come across someone with a viewpoint that you are struggling to understand. These questions are meant to help you gain understanding for why people may...

Today we continue our discussion on whether a hot dog is a sandwich, this time taking the position that a hot dog is a sandwich.  We delve into the history of sandwiches and how they came to be called such. We also look into the criteria of sandwiches and ask the question: what makes something a sandwich? We look at a variety of sandwich types and styles and then apply the rules and logic behind t...

Is a hot dog a sandwich? Some foodies argue that hot dogs are in fact sandwiches and others argue that hot dogs exist in their own unique category. We begin a conversation on this topic by taking the position that a hot dog is not a sandwich.  While a hot dog does share many characteristics and traits of sandwiches, it is a unique food item that demands a separate classification. We ask the questi...

Today we continue our ethics-based discussion on space exploration, this time taking some arguments and points that may be used as an argument against space exploration.  We look at the risks of the militarization of space, looking at humanity's history of militarization and weapons races. We also explore the concept of planetary protection, or the mission to protect ecosystems and environmen...

Today we take the discussion of whether or not mankind should be investing in space exploration and we look at it from a purely ethical standpoint, and make the argument that mankind should continue its journey of progression and advancement into the cosmos.  We look at how mankind's curiosity and fascination with the skies have helped lead us to this moment in time where man can finally trul...

We continue our discussion on space exploration and whether or not humanity is right to invest in it. Today, we take the position that, from a technological point of view, humanity should not invest in space exploration at this moment in time.  We look at some arguments as to why people may feel that space exploration is not the right priority for humanity right now. We look at environmental issue...

Should we invest in exploring space? Is it the right thing to prioritize right now? This is a question that has been highly debated for hundreds of years, and is still highly debated today. With the eclipse that we experienced in the US this month, we wanted to begin a conversation in looking into whether or not we should continue our efforts of understanding our solar system and universe.  We wil...

We continue looking at different voting methods with an exploration into Approval voting. Approval voting is an alternative voting method that has voters vote their "approval" for each candidate or option, rather than selecting a single option on their ballot. Though it is not widely used in political elections yet, supporters of approval voting argue that it is an alternative to plurali...

We continue looking at different voting methods by looking at why people may support Plurality voting (or First-Past-the-Post voting). Plurality voting is the most common voting method that we see used today, and throughout history. We look at some reasons why people tend to prefer this method of voting, specifically its simplicity and straight-forwardness. We also look at some of the risks and as...

A couple weeks ago we mentioned ranked choice voting and said we would address it another day- that day is today. Ranked choice voting is a format of voting where people rank their candidates from favorite to least favorite. The idea is to allow voters a clearer more holistic voting experience, rather than limiting them to only selecting one candidate.  We will look at some of the reasons why peop...

Last week we began a discussion into Daylight Savings Time, specifically looking at the argument that the drawbacks and risks of Daylight Savings Time outweigh the benefits derived from the practice.  This week we look at some of the reasons for keeping Daylight Savings Time. We look at data from the Department of Energy in a study performed on the energy savings around Daylight Savings Time, and...