Debate at the Cambridge Union Society

The Cambridge Union Society is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debating society in the world. Over the years, Cambridge Union has hosted high-profile debates featuring speakers such as Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama, Margaret Thatcher, Theodore Roosevelt, Germaine Greer, and more.

The debate format at the Cambridge Union Society allows each participating individual a set amount of time to present their case and does not allow for rebuttals. A winner is determined at the end based on a vote taken amongst the society’s members.

For this debate, entitled “This House Regrets Online Pornography” and hosted virtually via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were three advocates chosen for each position.

The society’s voters recorded that their opinion was split 50/50 at the beginning of the event, at the end of the debate the opinion of the society’s voters had been swayed in favor of McNamara’s position that pornography is harmful by a margin of 75/25.