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Is art an essential in learning

Please at least debate this with me! We have three long rounds to go, I'm interested in hearing the other side of this, and you're the one that instigated the debate.

Is art an essential in learning

On the grounds that my opponent has not yet proposed an argument supporting their case, I think it's safe to say that this debate is finished. Thanks in advance to voters for their time, I would hate to see this one go to a draw!

Is art an essential in learning

On the grounds that my opponent has not yet proposed an argument supporting their case, I think it's safe to say that this debate is finished. Thanks in advance to voters for their time, I would hate to see this one go to a draw!

art is technically useful

Okay then I'll start. The world could very much survive without the main form of arts, which is painting or sculpturing. While it may reduce the beauty of some objects and give a dull background, it is not a necessary practice.

This was a piece of art, advertised and described as such, those likely to be offended were quite welcome not to watch it.

As Proposition suggest, the broadcast had been widely discussed in the media before the event and there had been reviews of the stage performance as well as coverage of the subsequent awards. It cannot have come as a huge surprise that this would attract attention from, and cause great offence to, many people with an interest in the popular portrayal of religion. The trick of deliberately stoking allegations of blasphemy and obscenity to improve the ratings of a fairly obscure art form is as old as it is contemptible. Equally there is a secondary level of impact in terms of how the deep beliefs of people of faith will be represented to those who choose to watch and are not offended. They are hardly likely to have their perceptions of those beliefs enhanced by seeing matters portrayed in this way. There is, therefore, the risk that the interaction between those two groups will be effected in a deleterious way.

There is a duty for a broadcaster that is not dependent on either commercial or state funding to give a platform to controversial works of art.

It is wrong to suggest that the BBC has any duty on account of its relative funding freedom to give a platform to controversial works of art. On the contrary the BBC has a higher obligation to viewers not to offend them because they are also licence payers. Highlighting the BBC’s global audience also has little meaning as the global audience did not all have the opportunity to watch the programme – the numbers are global and include radio. The 1,500 protesters outside BBC studios was a small slice of the tens of thousands who voiced their protest in one form or another. These protests took place outside productions around the world involving Christians from many walks of life as well as the numerous complaints. However the BBC, dominated by an out of touch urban elite, clearly had little interest in the huge amount of offence that it had caused.