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The Soho Forum Debates

Reason presents a libertarian-themed debate series recorded monthly before a live audience in New York City. Moderated by former Barron's Economics Editor Gene Epstein, the Soho Forum features Nobel prize winners, radical thinkers, and other public intellectuals facing off over the future of abortion, bitcoin, electric vehicles, government debt, illegal drugs, robotics, sex work, and other controversial topics.

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August 19 · 1 hr 34 min
Does Gun Control Make Us Safer?
Statistician Aaron Brown and gun policy scholar Robert Spitzer debate the resolution, "Until there is convincing evidence that government-imposed gun control brings a net reduction in harm, all legal restrictions on adult possession of guns should be abolished." Taking the affirmative is Brown, a statistician, Bloomberg opinion columnist, and author of Wrong Number: How To Extract Truth From a Blizzard of Quantitative Disinformation. Subscribe to Brown's Reason newsletter here. Taking the negative is Spitzer, distinguished service professor emeritus of political science at SUNY Cortland and author of multiple books on gun policy. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Does Gun Control Make Us Safer? appeared first on Reason.com.
July 17 · 1 hr 40 min
Are the Epstein Files a Moral Panic?
Journalist Michael Tracey and Pace University's Marcella Szablewicz debate the resolution, "The Jeffrey Epstein scandal has become a case of moral panic." Taking the affirmative is Tracey, an independent journalist, political commentator, and media critic known for his skepticism of the Epstein narrative and what he calls the surrounding "mythology" and hysteria. Taking the negative is Szablewicz, an associate professor of communication and media studies at Pace University's Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on digital media and media moral panics. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Are the Epstein Files a Moral Panic? appeared first on Reason.com.
June 10 · 1 hr 26 min
Should ICE Deport All Illegal Aliens?
The Heritage Foundation's Simon Hankinson and George Mason University's Bryan Caplan debate the resolution, "Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should complete its mandate to deport all illegal aliens currently residing in the United States." Taking the affirmative is Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center and author of The Ten Woke Commandments—You Must Not Obey. Taking the negative is Caplan, a professor of economics at George Mason University. He is the author of 12 books, including the graphic novel Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Should ICE Deport All Illegal Aliens? appeared first on Reason.com.
May 22 · 1 hr 31 min
Should Billionaires Pay More Taxes?
Yale Law School professor Natasha Sarin and the Cato Institute's Adam Michel debate the resolution, "Billionaires should pay a higher share of federal taxes." Taking the affirmative is Sarin, who is a professor at Yale Law School and the president and co-founder of the Budget Lab at Yale. She is also a former counselor to Secretary Janet Yellen at the U.S. Treasury Department. Arguing against the resolution is Michel, the director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute. He was formerly deputy staff director at the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Should Billionaires Pay More Taxes? appeared first on Reason.com.
April 24 · 1 hr 28 min
Can Zohran Mamdani Make NYC Affordable?
Fordham Law School professor Zephyr Teachout and the Manhattan Institute's John Ketcham debate the resolution, "Mayor Zohran Mamdani is likely to fulfill his campaign pledge to make New York City more affordable for most residents." Taking the affirmative is Teachout, an attorney and professor of law at Fordham Law School. She is the author of two books, Break 'Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money and Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United. She's also formerly served as special adviser and senior counsel for economic justice at the New York Attorney General's Office. Arguing the negative is Ketcham, a legal policy fellow and director of Cities at the Manhattan Institute. He's also a contributing editor to City Journal, where he's closely followed Mamdani's governance. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Can Zohran Mamdani Make NYC Affordable? appeared first on Reason.com.
March 5 · length unknown
Should the NIH Be Abolished?
Harvard professor Jeffrey Flier and historian of science Terence Kealey debate the resolution, "The National Institutes of Health should be abolished." For the affirmative is Kealey, former vice chancellor of the University of Buckingham. He's the author of multiple books, including The Economic Laws of Scientific Research. He is also an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, where he co-authored the white paper "Mission Lost: How NIH Leaders Stole Its Promise to America." For the negative is Flier, the George Higginson professor of physiology and medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also a former clinical associate at the National Institutes of Health. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Should the NIH Be Abolished? appeared first on Reason.com.
January 30 · 1 hr 41 min
Will AI Benefit Everyone?
Technology authors Perry Metzger and Brian Merchant debate the resolution, "Artificial Intelligence will provide enormous net benefits to nearly every member of society." Metzger is taking the affirmative. He is the co-founder and chairman of the board of Alliance for the Future, and the author of science comic Computers: How Digital Hardware Works. Merchant is taking the negative. He is a reporter in residence at the AI Now Institute. He's also the author of two books, The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone and Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Will AI Benefit Everyone? appeared first on Reason.com.
January 9 · 1 hr 50 min
Should Child Protective Services Intervene More?
Naomi Schaefer Riley and Martin Guggenheim debate the resolution, "Government-run child protective services should intervene more in the lives of children." For the affirmative is Riley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and at the Independent Women's Forum. She's the author of seven books, the most recent of which is No Way To Treat a Child: How the Foster Care System, Family Courts, and Racial Activists Are Wrecking Young Lives. Guggenheim is taking the negative. He is the Fiorello LaGuardia Professor of Clinical Law Emeritus at New York University Law School and co-director of the Family Defense Clinic. He's also the author of multiple books, including What's Wrong With Children's Rights. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Should Child Protective Services Intervene More? appeared first on Reason.com.
Dec 19, 2025 · 1 hr 37 min
Is It Time To Break Up Big Tech?
Economic researchers Matt Stoller and Geoffrey A. Manne debate the resolution, "The U.S. government should break up large technology companies like Amazon, Meta, and Google to protect workers, suppliers, consumers, and democratic institutions." Arguing in favor of the resolution is Stoller, the director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project and the author of Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy. Taking the negative is Manne, the president and founder of the International Center for Law & Economics. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Is It Time To Break Up Big Tech? appeared first on Reason.com.
Nov 21, 2025 · 1 hr 37 min
Should Affirmative Action End?
Princeton University professor Paul Frymer and Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley debate the resolution, "The U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision to dismantle affirmative action in American higher education marked a significant regression in the pursuit of racial equality." Arguing for the affirmative is Frymer, a professor of politics at Princeton. He's the author of Uneasy Alliances: Race and Party Competition in America and Black and Blue: African Americans, the Labor Movement, and the Decline of the Democratic Party. Arguing against the resolution is Riley, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He's also the author of several relevant titles, including The Affirmative Action Myth: Why Blacks Don't Need Racial Preferences To Succeed and Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed, False Black Power. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. The post Should Affirmative Action End? appeared first on Reason.com.
Oct 24, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min
Is Oregon Proof That Drug Decriminalization Will Fail?
Drug policy scholar Kevin Sabet and Reason's Zach Weissmueller debate the resolution, "The failure of Oregon's experiment in decriminalizing all drugs is compelling evidence that other attempts at complete decriminalization will fail just as badly." Arguing for the affirmative is Sabet, the director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida, and the co-founder and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. He is the author of Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana. Arguing against the resolution is Weissmueller, a senior producer at Reason, who has been covering the drug war for well over a decade. He recently produced a documentary on why Oregon re-criminalized drugs. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. The post Is Oregon Proof That Drug Decriminalization Will Fail? appeared first on Reason.com.
Sep 16, 2025 · 1 hr 34 min
Should Paying for Sex Be a Crime?
Melanie Thompson of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Kaytlin Bailey of Old Pros debate the resolution, "Paying for sex should be a crime." Thompson is arguing in favor of the resolution. She is the chief advocacy and outreach officer at the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International, an organization working against the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls. Bailey is arguing against the resolution and is the founder and executive director of Old Pros, a non-profit media organization that uses storytelling to advocate for sex workers' rights. She is also the host of The Oldest Profession Podcast. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. The post Should Paying for Sex Be a Crime? appeared first on Reason.com.
Aug 12, 2025 · 1 hr 38 min
Are Trump's Deportations Constitutional?
Glenn Greenwald and Anna K. Gorisch debate the resolution, "President Trump's deportation policies generally violate key civil liberties as set forth in the U.S. Constitution." Arguing in favor of the resolution is Greenwald, a journalist and podcaster who won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the National Security Agency–Edward Snowden revelations. He left The Intercept in 2020 to become independent and is now the host of System Update nightly on Rumble. Opposing the resolution is Gorisch, an immigration attorney at Kendall Immigration Law, PLLC, in Austin, Texas, focusing on employment-based immigration. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Are Trump's Deportations Constitutional? appeared first on Reason.com.
Jul 18, 2025 · 1 hr 49 min
Should the U.S. Have a Public Health Insurance Plan?
Jacob Hacker and David Goldhill debate the resolution: "The government should offer to all Americans a health insurance plan that would compete with private insurance plans." Jacob Hacker is arguing for the affirmative. He's a professor of political science at Yale University and codirects the Ludwig Program in Public Sector Leadership at Yale Law School. He is a resident fellow at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies. For the negative is David Goldhill, CEO and cofounder of Sesame, an online marketplace for discounted health services. He is also the author of Catastrophic Care: Why Everything We Think We Know About Health Care Is Wrong. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Should the U.S. Have a Public Health Insurance Plan? appeared first on Reason.com.
Jun 19, 2025 · 1 hr 28 min
Was the Cold War a Deception?
Hal Brands and Gareth Porter debate the resolution, "The Cold War was a necessary response by the United States to a Soviet and Chinese threat to the global balance of power." Hal Brands, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, defends the resolution. He has authored multiple books on the Cold War, including The Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us About Great-Power Rivalry Today. Arguing against the resolution is Gareth Porter, an award-winning journalist and historian who authored The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. The post Was the Cold War a Deception? appeared first on Reason.com.
May 21, 2025 · 1 hr 44 min
Dave Smith and Alex Nowrasteh Debate Immigration
Dave Smith and Alex Nowrasteh debate the resolution, "Government restrictions on the immigration of peaceful and healthy people make sense from a libertarian standpoint, especially in present-day America." Comedian and host of the podcast, Part of the Problem, Dave Smith defends the resolution. Taking the negative is Alex Nowrasteh, the Vice President for Economic and Social Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. He's the coauthor (with Benjamin Powell) of Wretched Refuse? The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Dave Smith and Alex Nowrasteh Debate Immigration appeared first on Reason.com.
May 2, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min
Should Libertarians Prioritize Their Own Communities?
Eric Brakey and Andrew Heaton debate the resolution, "Libertarians should focus on building liberty-for-real societies like the Free State Project, rather than reforming an ever-expanding, uncontrollable federal government." Eric Brakey, executive director of the Free State Project and former Maine state senator, argued in favor of the resolution. Andrew Heaton, comedian, author, and host of The Political Orphanage podcast, argued against it. The debate was moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. Because of major technical problems during the recording of this event, the audio quality is well below Reason's standards. The post Should Libertarians Prioritize Their Own Communities? appeared first on Reason.com.
Mar 22, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min
Are the Palestinians Systematically Oppressed?
Jewish Currents' editor-at-large Peter Beinart and American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Michael Rubin debate the resolution, "The oppression of Palestinians in non-democratic Israel has been systematic and profound." Arguing for the affirmative is Beinart, a professor of journalism and political science at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York. He's a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, editor-at-large for Jewish Currents, and a political commentator for MSNBC. Beinart has authored several books, including Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning, which was released in January of this year. Arguing for the negative is Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he specializes in the Middle East and Africa, and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum. He's the author of Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes. The debate was moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:15 The resolution reads… 00:55 Beinart's opening statement 11:36 Rubin's opening statement 28:08 Beinart's rebuttal 32:55 Rubin's rebuttal 39:45 Q&A 1:12:02 Beinart's closing statement 1:15:22 Rubin's closing statement 1:20:23 Announcements 1:25:07 Results The post Are the Palestinians Systematically Oppressed? appeared first on Reason.com.
Feb 8, 2025 · 1 hr 50 min
Did the U.S. Provoke Russia's Invasion of Ukraine?
Scott Horton of The Libertarian Institute and Eli Lake of The Free Press debate the resolution, "The United States started the new Cold War with Russia and provoked Russia's invasion of Ukraine." Taking the affirmative is Horton, the director of The Libertarian Institute and the editorial director of antiwar.com. He recently published a book on the debate subject called Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine. Arguing for the negative is Lake, a columnist for The Free Press and contributing editor for Commentary magazine, whose longtime beat has been foreign affairs and national security. The debate was hosted at Dartmouth College by the Dartmouth Political Union and moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. The post Did the U.S. Provoke Russia's Invasion of Ukraine? appeared first on Reason.com.
Jan 27, 2025 · 1 hr 22 min
El Salvador's Bukele: Authoritarian or Model President?
Peter Gietl of Blaze Media and Salvadoran journalist Ricardo Avelar debate the resolution, "President Nayib Bukele's crime-fighting policies in El Salvador provide a model for reducing violence in other Latin American countries." Arguing in favor is Gietl, the managing editor for Return and Frontier magazine for Blaze Media. In November of last year, Gietl published a lengthy photojournalistic essay chronicling his travels to El Salvador, titled "J'Adore El Salvador," which he concludes by asking: "Can we bottle [El Salvador's transformation] up and ship it back to America?" Taking the negative is Avelar, a senior journalist and presenter for the Central American news outlet Revista Factum. In 2021, he co-directed a docuseries called 9F: The Return of Rifles, which is about the "El Bukelazo" events of February 9, 2020. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. The post El Salvador's Bukele: Authoritarian or Model President? appeared first on Reason.com.

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