About Elevate Debate

Elevate Debate is a place to argue well. Read debates, do debates, pick a topic or make your own. Anyone can start a debate on something they care about, and anyone can answer with a clear case for or against.

Why it exists

Most online arguments are loud and go nowhere. This is a space where people state a position, give their reasons, and answer the other side directly. As the proverb says, the one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.

How it works

• Start a debate. Pick a topic and a category, describe the question, and add a few tags. You can also start one straight from an article on the blog.
• Make your case. Post an argument for or against. Other members answer with rebuttals, and you can reply to them in turn.
• Vote. Members vote on arguments and rebuttals, and the strongest ones rise to the top.
• Keep up with what matters to you. Follow members, watch a debate, follow a topic, or save a debate to come back to. Your notifications show what happened, and you choose which of it also reaches your inbox.
• Read and write on the blog. The Official Blog is written by the team about debating well and life on the platform. The Community Blog is where members publish their own articles.

Your name stays yours

Other members see your username, not your real name. Your name and email stay private unless you choose to show them in your privacy settings.

What we ask of you

Be fair, stay on the point, and go after ideas, not people. The Community Guidelines explain what that looks like, and the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy cover the rest. If something breaks the rules, report it and the team will look at it.