The University of Montevallo has a “life raft” debate each year. They imagine that a catastrophe has eliminated the entire population save the few hundred people in the audience and 6 professors. There is room for only 1 professor on the life raft, so each has to make an argument for why their discipline in the most indispensable to human flourishing and so is the most deserving of the final seat on the raft.
“Every student getting a liberal arts degree worries at some point that their education might actually be useless. That’s what makes the life raft idea a funny idea, and a serious one. It is a forum for the students to say to their professors, ‘Make us believe in the value of what we are doing here.’”
Click here and move to 42:27 of the show for the segment. Or here for the life raft debate homepage.
Thoughts on radio show? Thoughts on which discipline is most deserving of the final seat in the raft?
Sounds like a great idea, but it seems like it is done poorly. No real argument or discussion. Instead, we hear only silly antics for entertainment.
But then I finished listening to it and was very impressed with the final speech and the final vote.