Why do you want to start a debating society? ‘Debating is a very nice activity. You learn to discuss a story from both sides and not to get stuck in tunnel vision. Every student town has a debating society so I asked, why not Wageningen? Many people signed up yet? ‘In Utrecht or Leiden you announce it to a roomful of law students and you get 30 signing up straightaway. It’s a bit harder in Wageningen. There are six of us at present, from various different degree programmes and backgrounds. We now meet once a week and from period 2 onwards, the current European champion will come and give us some training. The next step is to participate in competitions.’ Isn’t debating just a politically correct form of bullshitting? ‘No, on the contrary, it is tremendously exciting. Really it is a kind of verbal combat sport. You don’t necessarily defend your own opinion; it’s as if you get into someone else’s shoes. One debate technique is to use arguments to make each other look as ridiculous as possible. Then you might take a proposition like, ‘There should be more female smurfs.’
‘It is a kind of verbal combat sport’
Who: Lara MinnardWhat: Third-year student of Animal SciencesWhy: She is setting up a debating society called Wagenings Debat
