Open To Debate

Open To Debate America is more divided than ever—but it doesn’t have to be. Weekly debates on NPR, Substack, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
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05/31/2026

Is there a “right” way to parent?

From social media pressure to parenting script advice to research on raising resilient kids, today’s parents are navigating more opinions and more scrutiny than ever before.

Hear different perspectives on what support, structure, and trust can look like in modern parenting.

Clip featuring:
Lenore Skenazy, Co-founder of the Free Range Kids movement
Reshma Saujani, CEO and Founder Moms First; Founder Girls Who Code
Kristin Gallant, Co-founder of Big Little Feelings

Watch now and read our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3RFTnGC

...Are the parents alright?In this episode, three generations of women (a Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial) debate some of ...
05/29/2026

...Are the parents alright?

In this episode, three generations of women (a Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial) debate some of the toughest questions in modern parenting — from screen time and parenting styles to the pressures of constant online advice.

Watch this enlightening, nuanced conversation now.

Featuring:
Lenore Skenazy, Co-founder of the Free Range Kids movement
Reshma Saujani, CEO and Founder of Moms First; Founder of Girls Who Code
Kristin Gallant, Co-founder of Big Little Feelings

Moderated by Nick Gillespie, as part of our Generational Divides series. https://youtu.be/GppszZj4Cpc

05/27/2026

When does protecting national security become government overreach? In this clip, Bob Pozen and Richard Falkenrath discuss what’s at stake when the government invests in private companies.

Watch the full debate on our YouTube channel or listen via podcast: https://bit.ly/4f3vlz1

05/26/2026

Can governments invest like venture capitalists with the right guardrails, or do public obligations make that impossible?

Hear key arguments from Laura Taylor-Kale and Yasheng Huang. Watch the debate now: https://bit.ly/4f3vlz1

05/23/2026

When strategic industries are at stake, should the government step in before a crisis?

This debate explores the risks and rewards of government investment and whether waiting until the “last resort” is already too late.

Watch "Government as Shareholder: Proactive Competitive Strategy or Last Resort?" on our YouTube channel now: https://bit.ly/4f3vlz1

Washington is taking a bigger role in the economy, investing in industries tied to national security, supply chains, and...
05/22/2026

Washington is taking a bigger role in the economy, investing in industries tied to national security, supply chains, and infrastructure, arguing that it’s a strategic necessity.

Should the government proactively invest in the private sector, or should such intervention be reserved as a last resort?

Featured debaters:
Arguing "Proactive Competitive Strategy": Laura Taylor-Kale and Richard Falkenrath
Arguing "Last Resort": Bob Pozen and Yasheng Huang
Moderated by John Donvan

This debate was produced in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations. Watch now: https://youtu.be/Ya5v4y23fDk

05/19/2026

Is American still bold?

From moonshot discoveries to funding pressures and COVID-era failures, our debaters clash over whether today’s scientific enterprise is built for breakthrough thinking or constrained by risk aversion.

Featuring Kate the Chemist, Brandon Ogbunu, Agent Sethuraman Panchanathan and Tyler Cowen.

Presented by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and ​​Open To Debate, as part of the series. https://bit.ly/42wFih1

05/17/2026

At our live science debate at Johns Hopkins University, a student asked: “Who, specifically, is the source of the risk aversion?”

Debaters Brandon Ogbunu and Kate the Chemist agree the scientific system bears some blame, but differ on the extent.

Stream the full debate on YouTube: https://bit.ly/42wFih1. Presented by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and ​​Open To Debate, as part of The Hopkins Forum series.

05/16/2026

What happens when leading scientists, students, and public thinkers come together to debate the future of science?

In partnership with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, we convened four distinguished debaters to explore one big question: Is the Scientific Enterprise Too Risk-Averse? Featuring Tyler Cowen, Brandon Ogbunu, Kate Biberdorf, The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan, and Moderator-in-Chief John Donvan.

From behind-the-scenes moments to sharp disagreements on stage, the conversation tackled the tension between caution, innovation, funding, and scientific progress.

Leaders from Open to Debate and Johns Hopkins University also reflected on the mission of the series, and why dialogue and thoughtful disagreement matter at universities and beyond.

Watch the full debate here: https://youtu.be/AuPz09dpLSc

Is modern science playing it too safe?From gene editing to life-saving vaccines, many of humanity’s greatest breakthroug...
05/15/2026

Is modern science playing it too safe?

From gene editing to life-saving vaccines, many of humanity’s greatest breakthroughs began as risky ideas. But today, does the pressure to publish, secure funding, and survive peer review reward caution over bold thinking?

Tune into the debate: Is the Scientific Enterprise Too Risk-Averse? https://bit.ly/42wFih1
Arguing Yes: Tyler Cowen and Brandon Ogbunu
Arguing No: Kate the Chemist and Agent Sethuraman Panchanathan

Presented by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and ​​Open To Debate, as part of The Hopkins Forum series.

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