Theory of Knowledge Debate

The first session of the Theory Of Knowledge Debate for the Chairman's Cup was held. 8 participants from the 11th and 12th grade of the IBDP stream participated, debating on the topic 'Can knowledge be private property?'.

The pro speakers had 4 minutes initially to make their arguments, and most of it was focused on patents, copyrights, and livelihood that will be endangered should such patents be removed. They also argued that the existence of such patents fostered incentive and creativity in research. The speakers against the motion raised informed arguments against privatizing knowledge and instead argued for initiatives such as the Creative Commons License and open-sourcing.

The debate was enlivened by discussing wide-ranging real life examples in the context of knowledge as private property - such as the recipe for Coke, the private recitation of the Quran, the know-how for destructive weapons, the suicide of Aaron Swartz and so on. The exchange between the speakers themselves and the audience brought out a very significant insights into the topics.

The session was brought to a close with observations on the topic by Dr Sudeshna, Co-ordinator for the IBDP Extended Essay. It was heartwarming to see both the participants and the audience take a such avid interest in the topic!