A discussion founded in facts supported by reasoned analysis
Too often, the big issues feel ill-served by parliamentary question time or the 24-hour news cycle. IQ2 provides the perfect forum for big issues and bigger ideas.
Based on the highly successful debate program founded in the UK in 2002 - using the traditional Oxford and Cambridge style debate with one side proposing and the other side opposing a sharply framed motion - IQ2 Australia has presented more than 60 live debates on a wide range of provocative and newsworthy topics.
The aims of IQ2 are to raise the level of public discourse on our most challenging issues; provide a new forum for intelligent discussion, grounded in facts and informed by reasoned analysis; transcend the toxically emotional and the reflexively ideological; and encourage recognition that the opposing side has intellectually respectable views.
After the formal arguments, the debate is thrown open to the floor for debate and questions, triggering a lively interchange among the speakers and audience members. A well-respected moderator coordinates the dialogue to allow all the experts to have their say. Each side attempts to persuade the audience and this adversarial context is electric, adding drama and excitement. The live audience votes on the motion before and after hearing the arguments, providing a fascinating indication of how far people have actually been swayed.
The IQ2 Community
Thanks to a partnership with the Values Exchange (VX), it is now possible for the IQ2 community to engage with a richly featured suite of online tools that have been designed to deepen engagement with the world of ideas that the debates aim to promote. These tools offer world-class functionality, are easy to use, and can be tailored to fit the interests of every person. Find out how to get the most from the Australian IQ2 Community by accessing our many 'thinking tools' and participating beyond our live events.
For those of you who like to think with your feet and enjoy the live experience learn more about the 2013 Debates across Australia, view the line up of some of the world's inspirational thinkers and purchase tickets.