I have a slight concern that this would contribute to the vague celebrity/elitist culture that EA has. Sure, I’d find it fun/enjoyable to see people who are EA-famous on stage, but that plays into my vague perception of the haves and the have nots, elitism, and other poorly defined/not well thought-out ideas.
I’m not sure how to avoid that. Maybe design it so that none of the debaters are well-known people?
Hmmm. I don’t have anything well thought out, but my rough and off-the-top-of-my-head impressions are this:
it is much more impressive to speak extemporaneously about a complex subject than to do a prepared speech
an aspect of charisma and of performance in debates that seems much more impressive than in giving a talk
the fact that there are “sides” in a debate increases the level of excitement/tension
the fact that it isn’t fully rehearsed means that we might see new things. (simple example, if I am a huge fan of John Doe, going to a talk of his might be exciting but I am probably familiar with everything he is going to say. In a debate, there is the possibility of him sharing things that he hasn’t shared before)
None of these are particularly high-confidence, and I want to emphasize that these are vague impressions. I’ll also add that how the debate is structured/designed has a huge affect, and could minimize or amplify various characteristics. Merely saying “a debate” really leaves a lot of room open for interpretation regarding what it will actually be. (4-10 people around a conference table in a small room? 2-4 people on stage with podiums? Time limits? Interruptions? Prepared notes? Audience votes?)
otoh I’ve found watching “famous” people debate helpful for taking them off the pedestal. It’s demystifying to watch them argue things and think about things in public rather than just reading their more polished thoughts. The former almost always makes impressive-looking people seem less impressive.
Yeah I wasn’t planning on these necessarily being between “famous” EAs—if someone is a content expert and wants to debate, and happens to be “famous” then that’d be okay I think. But the point isn’t “Come to EAGx and watch the MacAskill v Holden debate boxing”.
I have a slight concern that this would contribute to the vague celebrity/elitist culture that EA has. Sure, I’d find it fun/enjoyable to see people who are EA-famous on stage, but that plays into my vague perception of the haves and the have nots, elitism, and other poorly defined/not well thought-out ideas.
I’m not sure how to avoid that. Maybe design it so that none of the debaters are well-known people?
Could you share how the debate format may be more likely to play into celebrity/elitist culture in EA than a standard conference talk format?
Hmmm. I don’t have anything well thought out, but my rough and off-the-top-of-my-head impressions are this:
it is much more impressive to speak extemporaneously about a complex subject than to do a prepared speech
an aspect of charisma and of performance in debates that seems much more impressive than in giving a talk
the fact that there are “sides” in a debate increases the level of excitement/tension
the fact that it isn’t fully rehearsed means that we might see new things. (simple example, if I am a huge fan of John Doe, going to a talk of his might be exciting but I am probably familiar with everything he is going to say. In a debate, there is the possibility of him sharing things that he hasn’t shared before)
None of these are particularly high-confidence, and I want to emphasize that these are vague impressions. I’ll also add that how the debate is structured/designed has a huge affect, and could minimize or amplify various characteristics. Merely saying “a debate” really leaves a lot of room open for interpretation regarding what it will actually be. (4-10 people around a conference table in a small room? 2-4 people on stage with podiums? Time limits? Interruptions? Prepared notes? Audience votes?)
otoh I’ve found watching “famous” people debate helpful for taking them off the pedestal. It’s demystifying to watch them argue things and think about things in public rather than just reading their more polished thoughts. The former almost always makes impressive-looking people seem less impressive.
Yeah I wasn’t planning on these necessarily being between “famous” EAs—if someone is a content expert and wants to debate, and happens to be “famous” then that’d be okay I think. But the point isn’t “Come to EAGx and watch the MacAskill v Holden debate boxing”.