
America is more divided than ever—but it doesn’t have to be. Open to Debate offers an antidote to the chaos. We bring multiple perspectives together for real, nonpartisan debates. Debates that are structured, respectful, clever, provocative, and driven by the facts. Open to Debate is on a mission to restore balance to the public square through expert moderation, good-faith arguments, and reasoned ... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 474 | Founded | 20 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Society & CultureNews | |||

The dangers of climate change are “no longer over the horizon.” Humanity may soon pass the “point of no return.” These are the phrases U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used to describe what he called an “utterly inadequate” global response to ... more
Near-death experiences have long challenged our understanding of consciousness and mortality. Some who come close to death report leaving their bodies, encountering vivid visions, or feeling profound peace. Are these experiences evidence that conscio... more
The midterms are coming up this fall, and right now we are in the middle of a contentious primary season, with a lot of new faces challenging incumbents—and many winning. It’s in this context that we revisit our debate from 2022: Are Primary Election... more
As America celebrates 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, the legacy of the Founders is under renewed scrutiny. Were they visionary architects of liberty whose achievements and creations should be celebrated, or has reverence for them sa... more
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Enough with the reruns. There should be many engaging topics to discuss that can help you avoid posting the same debate twice within a year.
Intellectually stimulating & well organized and moderated...!
John Donvan is extraordinary as a moderator. The guaranteed thing we will takeaway when well qualified debaters take each other on in a respectful manner is just how nuanced and complex the issues are. Something our political climate would never admit.
As a 73 year old, I’ve heard a lot of quibbling, interrupting, know-it-all curmudgeons. Put Nocera in a rocking chair on the porch to yell at passersby, but please, no more debates.
I have listened to this for years and rarely is there a true conservative on here. Most times I see a conservative, it’s one of the “I’m a conservative, BUT obviously I hate Trump and he’s a horrible human being and I vote Democrat now.”
John Donovan is pretty fair but he and his OTD team don’t seem to understand everyday GOP voters—they bring in the limousine, Ivy League elitist GOP-ers to debate. Like or hate Trump, his views are held by a majority of the right half of the country today and ... more
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Apple Podcasts | #225 |
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Open to Debate is a structured, moderator-led forum that brings diverse, well-informed voices to contested topics across politics, science, technology, and culture. Episodes typically feature two to four debaters presenting data-driven arguments, with live crossfire, audience questions, and live voting or polling to surface shifts in perception. The show emphasizes civil discourse, rigorous reasoning, and a broad, sometimes provocative range of perspectives—from elections reform and constitutional rights to bioethics, foreign policy, and cultural heritage. A standout is its habit of pairing specialists with varying viewpoints to illuminate trade-offs and foster nuanced understanding, making it useful for listeners who want clarity on comple... more
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Open to Debate:
1. Freakonomics Radio
2. Hidden Brain
3. Science Friday
4. Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
5. On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti
Open to Debate launched 20 years ago and published 474 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Open to Debate include:
1. Kaveh Madani
2. Michele Wucker
3. Matthew Kahn
4. Bjorn Lomborg
5. Eben Alexander
6. Raymond Moody
7. Sean Carroll
8. Steven Novella
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