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Health

FEATURED DEBATE

Should We Erase Bad Memories?

In the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kate Winslet’s character undergoes a procedure to erase her bad memories of her ex-boyfriend. But what if we could do the same in real life? Neurotechnology techniques, such as decoded neurofeedback, open the possibilities of influencing the brain’s neural activity to modify or erase memories that aren’t pleasant or beneficial to our well-being. Those who argue in favor say it could help offer a path to psychological well-being and emotional healing from traumatic and painful memories that lead to anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Those forgotten painful, unwanted memories would give…

Nita Farahany

ARGUING YES

Nita Farahany

Author of "The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology", Professor at Duke University, and the Founding Director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society

August 18, 2023

LEARN MORE

ARGUING NO

Sigal Samuel

Senior Reporter for Vox Future Perfect and co-host of the Future Perfect podcast

FEATURED DEBATE

August 18, 2023

LEARN MORE

Should We Erase Bad Memories?

In the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kate Winslet’s character undergoes a procedure to erase her bad memories of her ex-boyfriend. But what if we could do the same in real life? Neurotechnology techniques, such as decoded neurofeedback, open the possibilities of influencing the brain’s neural activity to modify or erase memories that aren’t pleasant or beneficial to our well-being. Those who argue in favor say it could help offer a path to psychological well-being and emotional healing from traumatic and painful memories that lead to anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Those forgotten painful, unwanted memories would give…

Nita Farahany

ARGUING YES

Nita Farahany

Author of "The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology", Professor at Duke University, and the Founding Director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society

ARGUING NO

Sigal Samuel

Senior Reporter for Vox Future Perfect and co-host of the Future Perfect podcast

Prescription Weight Loss Drugs for All?

A new study from The Lancet revealed that three-quarters of U.S. adults and almost half of teens are now overweight or obese. Weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, known as GLP-1 drugs, have been making headlines as…

With David Allison, Stuart W. Flint

January 24, 2025

Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work?

Dry January has become increasingly popular, practiced by a quarter of Americans last year, and provides individuals a collegial and open path for reconsidering their alcohol consumption. For almost two million people worldwide who have…

With Dan Griffin, Adi Jaffe

January 3, 2025

Could Longevity Science Extend Your Health Span By Decades? Should the Government Fund It?

How long would you like to live, and could science and technology make it possible? Longevity science aims to extend our healthy years through advancements in CRISPR, cellular reprogramming, and drug development. While private companies…

With Peter Diamandis, Ezekiel J. Emanuel

December 27, 2024

Psychedelics for Mental Health: Help or Hype?

Magic mushrooms, MDMA, and Ketamine. These psychedelic drugs, once a taboo, might not be as harmful as we thought. Some scientific studies have shown evidence that psychedelic drugs, when used in controlled therapeutic settings, may…

With Ismail Ali, Kevin Sabet

December 13, 2024

Mock Trial: Should the Courts Restrict Access to the Abortion Pill?

About the Trial In a post-Roe v. Wade world, a medication that 63% of women use to undergo an abortion is under consideration by the Supreme Court. Mifepristone was approved as a two-drug regimen for use…

With Catherine Glenn Foster, Julia Kaye

May 10, 2024

Childhood Obesity Guidelines: Good Medicine or Too Extreme?

In 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued groundbreaking guidelines to tackle childhood obesity, affecting over 14 million U.S. children and adolescents. These guidelines advocate for earlier, more aggressive interventions, including evaluating adolescents with severe…

With Julia Nordgren, Janna Gewirtz O'Brien

March 29, 2024

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THE LATEST

Prescription Weight Loss Drugs for All?

A new study from The Lancet revealed that three-quarters of U.S. adults and almost half of teens are now overweight or obese. Weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, known as GLP-1 drugs, have been making headlines as…

With David Allison, Stuart W. Flint

January 24, 2025

Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work?

Dry January has become increasingly popular, practiced by a quarter of Americans last year, and provides individuals a collegial and open path for reconsidering their alcohol consumption. For almost two million people worldwide who have…

With Dan Griffin, Adi Jaffe

January 3, 2025

Could Longevity Science Extend Your Health Span By Decades? Should the Government Fund It?

How long would you like to live, and could science and technology make it possible? Longevity science aims to extend our healthy years through advancements in CRISPR, cellular reprogramming, and drug development. While private companies…

With Peter Diamandis, Ezekiel J. Emanuel

December 27, 2024

Psychedelics for Mental Health: Help or Hype?

Magic mushrooms, MDMA, and Ketamine. These psychedelic drugs, once a taboo, might not be as harmful as we thought. Some scientific studies have shown evidence that psychedelic drugs, when used in controlled therapeutic settings, may…

With Ismail Ali, Kevin Sabet

December 13, 2024

Mock Trial: Should the Courts Restrict Access to the Abortion Pill?

About the Trial In a post-Roe v. Wade world, a medication that 63% of women use to undergo an abortion is under consideration by the Supreme Court. Mifepristone was approved as a two-drug regimen for use…

With Catherine Glenn Foster, Julia Kaye

May 10, 2024

Childhood Obesity Guidelines: Good Medicine or Too Extreme?

In 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued groundbreaking guidelines to tackle childhood obesity, affecting over 14 million U.S. children and adolescents. These guidelines advocate for earlier, more aggressive interventions, including evaluating adolescents with severe…

With Julia Nordgren, Janna Gewirtz O'Brien

March 29, 2024

Should We Erase Bad Memories?

In the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kate Winslet’s character undergoes a procedure to erase her bad memories of her ex-boyfriend. But what if we could do the same in real life?…

With Nita Farahany, Sigal Samuel

August 18, 2023

Is Social Media Bad for Kids’ Mental Health?

Social media platforms have become an integral part of the modern digital landscape, shaping how young individuals connect, communicate, and perceive the world around them. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential negative consequences…

With Candice Odgers, Jim Steyer

June 25, 2023

Is the FDA Too Cautious?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atlantic criticized the US Food and Drug Administration for moving too slowly to approve vaccines with the provocative headline “The Death Toll of Delay.” Not long before, National Public Radio…

With Colin Hill, Peter Lurie

June 23, 2023

John Donvan in Conversation with David McRaney on the Science of Changing Minds

What’s it take to change a mind? It turns out there is a science to it. That’s at least according to David McRaney, a journalist, author, and host of the You Are Not So Smart…

With John Donvan, David McRaney

March 17, 2023

Should We Eat More Processed Foods?

Processed food is bad for you, right? Well, there’s more to this story. As new technologies create foods that can’t be made in home kitchens, such as plant-based meats and dairy products made with plant…

With Michael Gibney, Kevin Hall, Marion Nestle, Amy Webb

July 11, 2022

Is It Right to End Roe?

The Supreme Court is poised to make a decision so controversial that even a leaked draft majority opinion can send shockwaves across the nation. In 98-pages, Justice Alito decried Roe v. Wade as “egregiously wrong…

With Sarah Isgur, Mary Ziegler

May 10, 2022

TRENDING

Psychedelics for Mental Health: Help or Hype?

With Ismail Ali, Kevin Sabet

December 13, 2024

Magic mushrooms, MDMA, and Ketamine. These psychedelic drugs, once a taboo, might not be as harmful as we thought. Some scientific studies have shown evidence that psychedelic drugs, when used in controlled therapeutic settings, may help patients with anxiety, PTSD, and depression. While states like Oregon have legalized psilocybin therapy, the FDA recently decided in a high-profile case not to approve MDMA therapy. Should doctors still consider its use, or is it overhyped? Those who advocate for psychedelic treatments argue…

Psychedelics for Mental Health: Help or Hype?

Magic mushrooms, MDMA, and Ketamine. These psychedelic drugs, once a taboo, might not be as harmful as we thought. Some scientific studies have shown evidence that psychedelic drugs, when used in controlled therapeutic settings, may…

With Ismail Ali, Kevin Sabet

December 13, 2024

IN THE NEWS

Is It time for Medicare for All?

With Adam Gaffney, Nick Gillespie, Sally Pipes, Joseph Sanberg

September 17, 2019

As the nation gears up for the 2020 election, Democrats are promising bold new changes to the American health care system. One idea championed by many on the progressive left is “Medicare for All,” or a single-payer system, which would do away with private health insurance for most forms of care. Advocates of this plan promise that nationalizing health insurance will cut costs by reducing overhead and promote overall health by giving all Americans access to preventive health care. And…

Is It time for Medicare for All?

As the nation gears up for the 2020 election, Democrats are promising bold new changes to the American health care system. One idea championed by many on the progressive left is “Medicare for All,” or…

With Adam Gaffney, Nick Gillespie, Sally Pipes, Joseph Sanberg

September 17, 2019

Upcoming Debates

The Hopkins Forum: Can the U.S. Outpace China in AI Through Chip Controls?

With Lindsay Gorman, Will Hurd, Susan Thornton, Paul Triolo

6:00 PM | Wednesday, May 14, 2025

We are excited to announce the second debate in The Hopkins Forum, a partnership between Open to Debate and Johns Hopkins University’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute. Join us in Baltimore for a live debate that will explore the high-stakes U.S.-China AI arms race, examining whether U.S. chip controls can secure an American advantage in artificial intelligence. The AI revolution is underway, and the U.S. and China are racing to the top. At the heart of this competition are semiconductors—especially…

The Hopkins Forum: Can the U.S. Outpace China in AI Through Chip Controls?

We are excited to announce the second debate in The Hopkins Forum, a partnership between Open to Debate and Johns Hopkins University’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute. Join us in Baltimore for a live debate…

With Lindsay Gorman, Will Hurd, Susan Thornton, Paul Triolo

6:00 PM | Wednesday, May 14, 2025

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