Welcome

Hello, my name is Eric Ness, and these are my personal debate notes — a collection I’ve built over time to help me think more clearly and argue more carefully about the policy issues that matter to me. They span criminal justice, healthcare, economics, governance, the environment, technology, and more. I’m sharing them openly because I believe good-faith debate starts with doing your homework, and I’d rather have my reasoning out in the open where it can be tested than kept in a notebook where it can’t.

I hold a lot of the positions outlined here, but not all of them, and not with equal conviction. A few are included more because they’re worth engaging with, and some are included because I have not fully made up my mind. The point of these notes was never to build an airtight ideology — it was to organize the strongest evidence and arguments I could find on each side of an issue, pressure-test them against real counterarguments, and get better at the kind of conversations where people actually change their minds. If you disagree with something, good. That’s what these are for.

Every entry follows the same structure: a clear position, the evidence behind it, honest counterarguments stated as fairly as I can manage, and practical notes on how to talk about it without losing the room. I’ve tried to lead with data over rhetoric and to steelman the other side before responding to it. Whether you’re prepping for a debate, trying to understand a policy issue, or just curious where I land on something — I hope you find these useful.

About The Author

For transparency, I am a programmer that analyzes environmental data during the day. I am also a PhD candidate studying computer science, specifically using satellites to analyze water quality data. I am not a ‘debater’ in any sense — these should be considered a hobbyist’s notes, albeit hopefully ones that can aid you in forming your own positions.