Harvard, Oxford Debaters Ponder 'Unreasonable Men'

Topics ranging from Nietszche to parietal rules, from Buick convertibles to Senator McCarthy, and from the Harvard Corporation to the Radcliffe girl's stockings, were all brought into discussion at the Harvard Club of Boston last night. Debaters from Harvard and Oxford were arguing: "Resolved, That progress depends on the unreasonable man."

There was no official judge for the debate, which took place before an audience of more than 300, and thus no decision. The two Debate Council participants commented afterwards, however, that the Oxford debaters were "infinitely better" than their usual American opponents.

Supporting the affirmative side of the question were Peter Tapsell of Oxford and David A. Halperin '55 of the Debate Council. Oxford's Derek Bloon defended the negative along with George M. Fredrickson '56, vice-president of the Council.

Bloon, who made the opening speech in support of the negative, emphasized all the destruction that has been caused by "unreasonable men" throughout history. He listed as bad influences such men as Nietszche and Hitler and then went on to Senator McCarthy because, he explained, "for an Englishman to speak in America without mentioning McCarthy would be like presenting 'Hamlet' without a grave-digger."

Arguments for the affirmative, as propounded by Halperin, stressed that the most reasonable men and institutions are the ones which oppose progress most strongly. "Take the Harvard Corporation," said Halperin. "This is an eminently reasonable body which is, nevertheless, completely unsusceptible to progress--it cannot change, it just is there."