Matthew Sneller( Coll:, 21-) looks back on our oldest society
The Wykehamist
One Final Whip Speech
Matthew Sneller( Coll:, 21-) looks back on our oldest society
What is the true role of the Debating Society, or rather, what ought it to be? Even though the Society will be in its 160 th year in September, it has changed so much from its original form, practically to the point of unrecognition. In its founding notice issued to The Wykehamist No. 1 in October 1866( see bottom right), it was stated that, whilst prefects were free to join the Society if they wished, the number of‘ inferiors’ would be limited to 10, and a general vote of the House would be required for them to join. The society took on the clear role of solely debating current affairs, and conducted sessions in a more grandiose and well-attended manner than we do so today, albeit with much sparser sessions. Indeed, many Wykehamists now see MUN or the Gaitskell Society as superior alternatives to the Society, where one is given the opportunity to argue more‘ pressing’ matters. And yet, despite maintaining a keen interest in foreign affairs and contemporary politics, I joined, and stuck with Deb Soc. I suppose it really boils down to three principal reasons.
At Deb Soc, much like at MUN, one often has to argue cases that appear counterintuitive, if not ludicrous. One of the earliest motions I ever debated considered whether we ought to ban Christmas; in VBk, we even spent an entire term on motions set by a certain judge, which were seen as too abstract or overly focused on social justice. But that, really, is the point; motions are meant to prompt thinking. Without the ability to resort to the internet, encyclopaediae or any other prewritten material, a debater faces true intellectual challenge. When asked about issues like Israel-Palestine or abortion, most people would simply bring out predetermined lines of argument. But at Deb Soc, it is very rare to enter a debate and immediately know what to say.
Indeed, the capacity for‘ point generation’ is integral to debating, but it is certainly not limited to it. Earlier in the term, the Headmaster spoke in a video message to parents about the difference between process and product. This idea applies very much to the Society, in that we debate not merely to produce polished arguments for or against an idea, but rather to benefit from the resulting intellectual stimulation. It is this part of debating, namely debating for its own sake, that I particularly enjoy. It is in this way, that the Debating Society fulfils its foundational duty of bringing‘ some lasting intellectual benefit to the school’( The Wykehamist No. 4, December 1866).
Moreover, I also enjoy debating’ s approachability. As much as seasoned debaters will naturally debate with more polished skill, there is no real reason why newcomers cannot hold their own with the use of suffi-
From The Wykehamist No. 1, October 1866
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