The Sylvans discuss issues facing society, generating wisdom from diverse perspectives through debating, in a friendly atmosphere.
Dive into key topics and test your thinking, with the option to practise speaking in public. All are welcome, with no prior experience required!
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Who are the Sylvans?
We are a diverse group who meet in a central London pub twice a month. With a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, we discuss topics in-depth in a friendly atmosphere of mutual respect.
Generating wisdom through debating
We take a fresh view on the important issues we discuss. We always incorporate a wide range of perspectives, with speeches from the audience making up two-thirds of our debates. By the end of the night, we have a deeper understanding of the topic: crowd wisdom, not echo chamber.
Join us at an upcoming debating event
Everyone is welcome to join our events. No public speaking experience is required, and guests are welcome to observe or participate in the debates. Simply turn up for a 7pm start and join us! In addition, you can join our email list to stay in touch.
How Sylvan debates unfold
The Sylvans use a motion-based debating format, with two main speakers opening the debate, one on each side of the argument (the Proposer and Opposer) followed by contributions from the audience, which are known as floor speeches. Those make up a full two-thirds of the debates, ensuring we incorporate as wide a range of perspectives as possible.
Everyone may speak for up to 5 minutes each. Afterwards, the main speakers each have a right of reply. The entire audience then votes to determine the outcome of the debate and which way the house stands on the motion.
History of the Sylvan Debating Club
The Sylvans originated in 1868 and have been in continuous operation since then. We still examine topical issues in-depth, and you can see our debate motions and the results and content of many debates since 1999 on the history page. Everyone is welcome to join our events without pre registration.
Learn from our past debates
Since 2015 you can see the results of all the Sylvan debates, and since 2019 we have posted detailed summaries of the content of the debates. We aim to generate wisdom through debating, and we now share the distilled content of our debates. Please use the search function below or browse through our past debates.