Established in 1478 with papal approval, the Spanish Inquisition was a state-backed religious institution tasked with enforcing religious orthodoxy (and thus political control) across a Spain that had just completed the Reconquista, the centuries-long Christian effort to reclaim Iberia from Muslim rule, leaving behind a large population of Jewish and Muslim converts. It was a system set up to identify, investigate, and punish people suspected of heresy, especially those who were believed to be secretly practicing other religions. Initially focused on keeping "conversos" (Jewish converts) "moriscos" (Muslim converts) in check, it gradually expanded its reach to target Protestants, mystics, and others. It operated during a period that also saw the Ottoman Empire take Constantinople in 1453, the Renaissance, and the emergence of the Protestant Reformation from 1517, before being formally abolished in 1834.

For the purpose of this debate, Christendom refers to the geographical, cultural, and political influence of Christianity.

John Moore was treated for leukemia at a university hospital. As part of his treatement, doctors removed his cells. These were then later used to develop a highly valuable cell line that helped millions and generated significant commercial profits.

Moore was not informed of this use and decided to sue.

The hospital claimed Moore did not retain ownership over his cells once they were removed from his body, and therefore was not entitled to profits derived from them.

TSMC is the world’s largest contract semiconductor foundry, producing advanced chips for AI, smartphones, data centers, and high‑performance computing. It has a market capitalization of around $1.1–1.2 trillion, making it one of the most valuable companies in the world.

TSMC trades at roughly $220–230 per share (as of 2026), supported by strong earnings growth and high demand for cutting‑edge logic chips used in AI accelerators and servers. For this debate, you are a mutual fund with several billion dollars in assets under management managing a diversified portfolio for retail and institutional investors. When an investor takes a “long position” in a stock, they buy and hold the shares, expecting the price to rise over time. When an investor “remains flat”, they maintain zero net exposure to that stock, allocating that capital elsewhere or holding cash instead.

When Mikhail Gorbachev became General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1985, the USSR saw severe economic stagnation, technological backwardness, and growing public disillusionment. Gorbachev introduced two major reform programs: glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring).

Glasnost relaxed censorship, permitted discussion of previously taboo topics like Stalin's crimes & Soviet history, and enabled independent media and public discourse. Perestroika introduced economic reforms (limited market mechanisms, reduced central planning, and allowed some private enterprise) as well as political reforms (competitive elections and anti corruption campaigns)

Between 1989-1991, Eastern European communist regimes collapsed, the Berlin Wall fell, and Soviet republics declared independence. After a failed hardliner coup in August 1991, the USSR formally dissolved on December 25, 1991.

When Mikhail Gorbachev became General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1985, the USSR saw severe economic stagnation, technological backwardness, and growing public disillusionment. Gorbachev introduced two major reform programs: glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring).

Glasnost relaxed censorship, permitted discussion of previously taboo topics like Stalin's crimes & Soviet history, and enabled independent media and public discourse. Perestroika introduced economic reforms (limited market mechanisms, reduced central planning, and allowed some private enterprise) as well as political reforms (competitive elections and anti corruption campaigns)

Between 1989-1991, Eastern European communist regimes collapsed, the Berlin Wall fell, and Soviet republics declared independence. After a failed hardliner coup in August 1991, the USSR formally dissolved on December 25, 1991.

In this world, advances in neuroscience have made it possible to easily and painlessly extract, transfer, and implant human memories with complete sensory and emotional fidelity. Experiencing a transferred memory is indistinguishable from having lived it firsthand.

However, human memory remains finite, i.e. you can only hold a certain number of memories at any point, the quantity of which remains the same throughout your life. As a result, when memories are transferred, they are fully removed from the original individual, freeing up space. A global, regulated marketplace now exists where individuals can buy and sell memories for money, access, or other forms of compensation.