[Serious] The Great American Think Off

[Angrboda]

Which is more important: to win, or to play by the rules? Arguments either way will be put to the test at the Great American Think-Off, an unusual contest hosted by a cultural center in the small town of New York Mills, Minn. The competition — which annually poses a philosophical question, then invites essay submissions from anywhere in the world — culminates this year on June 12 with a debate in the town’s school auditorium featuring four finalists, none of whom is a professional philosopher.

Except for last summer, when it was canceled because of the pandemic, the contest has been held in the west-central Minnesota town since 1993. During that first contest, then known as the Great Midwestern Think-Off, the question was whether the inherent nature of humankind is good or evil. No one won the debate that night, and the question — at least in the eyes of those attending the event — remained unanswered. It was asked again in 2012, when Adam Bright, a writer from Syracuse, N.Y., argued that we’re all inherently evil and won the debate.

(Washington Post)

Anyone want to take a stab at it?