College groups host marriage debate

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A cordial ethical debate drew such a crowd to the Dow Leadership Center on Tuesday night that a live feed was broadcast to overflow seating in the lobby. The standing-room-only crowd gathered to see Sherif Girgis and John Corvino debate “What is Marriage?” at an event sponsored by Young Americans for Freedom and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s on-campus societies, the Lyceum and the Symposium.
Girgis and Corvino were defending traditional and same-sex unions, respectively. They are frequent debating partners, defending their views at venues across the country and planning a co-written book dealing with the marriage debate.
The debate followed the conventional Lincoln–Douglas format. Girgis spoke for 12 minutes, followed by 18 minutes from Corvino and a final six minutes from Girgis. An extensive Q&A session followed, and both speakers were available after the event to talk with students.
Though Hillsdale is a Christian school by its articles of association, this institutional identity does not conflict with its commitment to honest discourse, said Associate Professor of Philosophy Nathan Schlueter, who helped the Lyceum plan and organize the debate.
“Hillsdale preserves the western heritage, which includes the moral tradition of natural law, but also includes rational debate,” Schlueter said. “This debate should not be perceived as though the college is not committed to moral principles.”
Girgis is pursuing a doctorate in philosophy from Princeton University and a J.D. from Yale Law School. With Robert George and Ryan Anderson, he co-wrote “What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense.” He regularly writes on the topic in major national publications.
Girgis has spoken at Hillsdale once before, in spring of 2013. He said that presenting an argument as part of a debate can strengthen everyone’s understanding of the issue at stake.
“For those convinced by the argument, it’s more powerful to see it defended against objections. For the other side, a real opponent, not just a straw man, makes your own argument more powerful,” Girgis said.
The “real opponent” to Girgis on Tuesday was Corvino, one of the most prominent intellectual defenders of same-sex marriage. Corvino is a professor of philosophy at Wayne State University and author most recently of “What’s Wrong with Homosexuality?” He also writes for many national publications to present the philosophical case for his views.
Since they debate each other so regularly, Corvino and Girgis get along very well and are very familiar with the other’s arguments, even though they don’t agree on the main issue.
Jacob Lane, ISI’s regional director, who oversaw the event, said that he was impressed with how Hillsdale students handled the debate.
“You were able to have a civil debate about a very contentious topic,” Lane said. “I’ve visited a lot of campuses in my tenure with ISI, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a group of students more intellectually competent and curious.”
A video of the event will be available online from Young Americans for Freedom later this week.