Looks like the Philosophy Interest Group would find it tough to win an argument against these guys… even Walter!
"It took place at the Eastern New York Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Napanoch. The Ivy League undergrads were invited last month to debate the inmates who take in-prison courses taught by Bard College faculty.
"Harvard’s team won the national title this year and the world championship in 2014.
"But the inmates are building a reputation, too. The club has notched victories against teams from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the University of Vermont.
“Against Harvard, the inmates were tasked with defending the position that public schools should be allowed to turn away students whose parents came to the U.S. illegally. Harvard’s team responded, but a panel of neutral judges declared the inmates victorious.”
For some strange reason, the designation of Prisoner(or inmate) seems to automatically disparage the individual, classifying them as flawed, dumb, or below the standard mental faculties in the minds of most. However, the truth of dealing with any such labeled individual is that they require the most attention to detail and precautions. This is due in great part to their intellect or sheer will power in combination with their goals. Now take the best of the best of the best of these “inmates” and you have part of the justification for the existence of a Maximum Security Prison. A Maximum Prison exist to contain the best of the best. It takes some doing to be sent to such an installations.
My point: the only -ONLY- unusual thing of this report should be the fact that the Military and Harvard(amongst other institutions) where willing to risk the embarrassment of loosing to the brain trust commonly known as Maximum Security Prison. Most of the institutions mention on the article are “marketed” as THE BEST, or number one… Loosing to “Inmates” should be expected. The perception of loosing to “Inmates” is too damaging to risk in my opinion. I am still baffled they would agree to publicize such a one sided completion.
Debate teams deal with abstracts and strategies, inmates deal with real life experience, where they hone their skills for personal gain, at times with not holds barred… ONE sided indeed; not surprised at the outcome.
