I am currently involved in a uni debate challenge and this was the topic that was given to us.
It is quite challenging arguing this from the negative point of view.

Thus, I would like to ask for some help from our fellow forumers to give some insights and points
as to how travel DOES NOT broaden the mind.

Thank you!

I agree that it's a difficult one when you're asked to that the negative side for a topic like that.

The keyword to play with is 'mind'. How do you define mind? What is the limit of the mind? Are you sure it is the 'mind' that is broadened?

Then you can go on to rebut the common perceptions of how much the experience you get from one trip. It's usually exaggerated.

If the tourist is only concerned about shopping, does it actually broaden the 'mind'?

For the amount of time spent travelling, wouldn't it be better to watch documentaries or find information on the internet.

For the amount of money spent, wouldn't it be better to buy books on the subject?

Then you compare a tourist and a person who tries to find information from one location. For a fixed amount of time, how much information will the tourist and the other person get?

So you say that the attitude of a person is more important than the location/travelling.

This post has been edited by Thinkingfox: Aug 6 2009, 05:26 PM

I am sure the affirmative team would define "mind" as something like a collection of experiences that enrich a person's life in ways such as open-mindedness and/or maturity or something along those lines.

Regarding the amount of time spent travelling, wouldn't the affirmative counter with something like.. first hand experiences are no match for watching documentaries or books.

And the affirmative might also define "travel" in terms of non-long distance, they might say a walk down a street might broaden your mind.
In that context, wouldn't the points of amount of time spent travelling and money spent be invalid?

Thoughts please! Thank you!

1. Be prepared to lose, since logically, since in no way can travel not broaden the mind.

2. Having been in debates for some time, the only way you're gonna win this is by talking crap very convincingly. Just appear confident. Half the time, the judges don't even understand your points.

3. You can try what Fox suggested, playing the definition game. But it's not going to be a smart move cause you are presenting the more obscure meaning of mind and broaden and in the end you and your opponent will be talking cow and chicken.

I agree with Mumeichan that you should not expect to win this debate due to the awkward position in which you have been placed. I'm sure that the judges would understand that you're fighting a widely accepted premise, so I'm sure they'll cut you some slack.

Of course such rebuttals are to be expected. First hand experience does matter. But it depends on the person also. Some people might be absent-minded enough not to notice things even when they are on study trips. So probably you can shift the focus from the travelling to the person or something else.

If your opponents says travel in terms of non-long distance, it is to your advantage. How would a walk down a street be more enlightening than by watching a documentary? A documentary is an educational video that has been made and commented by experts, and involve a great number of people. Surely much thought has been put into the process of making it.

This post has been edited by Thinkingfox: Aug 6 2009, 09:58 PM

A little off-topic?


Shopping can expose one to many new things such as design, art, culture etc etc



Isn't it better to experience it first hand? Most people enjoy adventure and dislike reading, heck some can't even read well. By the way, your point here contradicts the limit of the mind, is the mind broadened thing.


Attitude "might be" more important, but that isn't his topic of debate - traveling doesn't broadened the mind.

This post has been edited by dy/dx: Aug 7 2009, 07:08 PM

Lame... if this come out in essay, that will be
Travel Broadens the Mind. To what extent do you agree with this?
It won't come out Travel Broadens the Mind. Do you agree?


For such a topic like this, it is expected that the opposition will asking around in forum, or yahoo answer. So, I think it is not a wise choice as the government/lecturer will be searching for this also, especially for such a rare and biased topic. All your points will be exposed and makes the rebuttal easy. All ur points are in their fingertips.

I think you need to consider case by case, playing with words to confuse the government, bring in irrelevant points and make the topic being discussed out of topic progressively. And most importantly, make the government to argue and argue and argue about the points although this is not good. But this will not work in uni levelll.

Travel Broadens the Mind. Sure lo I really hav no idea but below is some irrelevant things

Children nowadays, esp in Asia, are brought up in a way that most of them could only obtained information directly. They just know how to memorise information from books. What's not being written on book they could not answer. So how should you expect them to broadening their mind through travelling? Most of them are unaware of things going around. They couldn't really interpret or learn much from travelling because it is too abstract for them. Reading information from books is the best way for them to broadening mindsets. As for most ppl, travelling is just for relaxing themselves and couldn't border much of broadening mindset. Furthermore, Who will care of know the culture, historical buildings or watever so. One could obtain more information from books. Lemme ask you, what do you learn from your last travel??????? Why Pyramid is being built, built by who? Do u get the information from travelling? No! Is from history book. Ppl go travel who cares who build the Pyramid??? Just see and take picture than enough d.

And there is another things called newspaper



http://afpc.asso.fr/wengu/wg/wengu.php?l=Daodejing&no=47


This post has been edited by macamtakada: Aug 6 2009, 11:09 PM

<<A little off-topic?>>
<<Attitude "might be" more important, but that isn't his topic of debate - traveling doesn't broadened the mind.>>
Well, as I said it's hard to win this argument as you're required to fight a widely accepted view, but of course you're still required to try to convince that there are flaws in the accepted view.

<<Shopping can expose one to many new things such as design, art, culture etc etc >>
Finding information online is much more efficient isn't it?

<<Isn't it better to experience it first hand? Most people enjoy adventure and dislike reading, heck some can't even read well. By the way, your point here contradicts the limit of the mind, is the mind broadened thing>>
True. But books and internet are not all words isn't it? In books there are diagrams and there's Youtube on the internet. I don't see how there's a contradiction. Do point it out to me. Thanks.

This post has been edited by Thinkingfox: Aug 6 2009, 11:48 PM

weeeee... varsity level debate

u sure this is varsity level debate motions? like, not serious wan lol..

The motion is 'This house believes that travel broadens the mind' and u're in the opposition?

:/ the motion itself is kinda petty lol...

anyway, u can argue along the line that traveling as per trip, i.e. holiday package, does not broaden the mind. They'd cram as many programmes in a day as possible, hence time u spend exposed to the oversea environment is very limited.

in any case, motion is really lame and petty. what sort of debate challenge are u in?

Yup. Do spend alot of time thinking of every possible blunder you opponent may make. So if they really do, you'll be prepared to take advantage if it. That 1 or 2 minute spent on bashing your opponents blunder will probably mean more than all the points you ca come out with given this kind of topic.

Our imagination much or less shapes our mindset.
A person with rich imagination can analyse things much differently compared to someone with lesser.
Before you ever been to a place, you will imagine what is the place looks like, the culture of the place, the type of people that populated that area,.....etc.

Intrigued by Marco Polo vivid although ambiguous description of the culture of the east, the medieval europeans are driven by huge desire of curiosity to unravel the mystery of the orient. With wild imagination, they began to think of many sort of things that go beyond their boundary of normal expectations. Shakespeare never travels outside england much but how can he create some masterpiece out of tales like Julius Caesar or Hamlet for that matter. He never travels much but its his imagination untainted by the actual experience there that he can shape which ever way he wants.

Let's say when you never been to Rome so you will begin to imagine how the place looks like which you will then begin to research as much as possible by going google or travel books. Expectations & imaginations tends to be higher than the actual ones can offer.
If you did travel to Rome & see most of the things that you have already imagined or dreamed first place it will "narrow" your mind to the actual thing or facts. When you imagine the people there will be nice, you realised you dont speak Italian.

I think the keyword is the word "broaden" which you can argue quite effectively. Travelling indeed broaden some of our real life experience but narrows our mindset & imagination to the things at present.

Try reciting this, exactly the way you wrote it, to your average friend. Your friend of course should have the chance to interrupt you or ask you questions. Then ask him to explain back to you what he understood of it and whether he agrees with you or not. Then you will know why this won't work well in a debate competition.

This post has been edited by mumeichan: Aug 7 2009, 02:36 PM

Nais.....

Thanks a lot for all your replies.
Now we have a good plan to fight this motion.