The Abingdon Society’s Debating Final took place on Friday 5th May 2023.
After a competitive first round, three Houses made it to the final this year: Isabella, Caverel and Roberts. The motion was ‘This House believes the greatest threat to the Western world if population collapse / AI / human nature’.
Isabella shone for its polished debating style; both Edith and Bea were eloquent in their arguments as they tried to persuade the audience that the ego side of our human nature was leading us to self-destruction.
Rupert and Caspar quoted Geoffrey Hinton’s recent resignation and highlighted the challenges AI could bring but were accused of fearmongering by Caverel. Special mention to Caspar for the way in which he dealt with points of information from the opposing teams.
In the end, Caverel represented by Maya and Oliwia proved victorious, thanks largely to a well-argued closing speech in which not only did they effectively summarise their own substantial argument but effectively skewered the opposition too.
