The art of debate

"Open to debate" seems an odd title for a book published in 2016, the year of the tweeted insult-campaigns and the clashing mobs in streets and campuses.

Yet, it is the title of a book about what political debate used to be and arguably, can be again. Heather Hendershot remembers how William F. Buckley single-handedly took the Right-wing debate from the racist slur to Thomas Paine and Christopher Hitchens.

Here's a sample of what Buckley's debate used to be:

The left field suffered some casualties with the demise of Charlie Rose, but still has some examples like the Munk debates

Or those organized by the BBC:

Just select your sources look beyond cable talking heads parroting party lines and "alternative facts".

Good debates educate and train your intellect, but mostly, your civility.