Reviewing the "Great Epstein Debate"!
Thanks to all who came out last night for the “Great Epstein Debate.” It looked like a packed house to me. Somehow, I ended up losing per the Oxford-style debate format. I found this pretty amazing, at least per my own subjective perception of the quality of the arguments, which I grant is extremely biased in my favor, given that I’m the one who delivered my argument. I might have to self-interestedly attribute this outcome to the persistence of the “moral panic” itself! I was also told that fewer “libertarian autists” were in the audience than is typical. Whatever though — the people have spoken!
One of the organizers told me the debate was not “live-streamed” due to technical issues, but it was video-recorded, so it should be released relatively soon by Soho Forum/Reason.
In the meantime, below is the opening statement I more-or-less delivered last night, with some improvisation throughout. Along with a few other notes/thoughts I jotted down in preparation.