The Experience Machine is a device that simulates their life with any experiences the participant could ever want (eg. pure happiness, the experience of being in love, the experience of enjoying friendships, etc.). The participant cannot distinguish any difference between the simulated happiness and reality. The machine is guaranteed not to fail or break down. Once you plug into the machine, you cannot later opt out and return to Reality.

 For the purpose of this debate, the "Machine of Death" (MoD) is a technology capable of telling the user exactly how and when they will die on the day of their 18th birthday. The MoD cannot be accessed a second time, and the information one learns cannot be shared with anyone else.

 For purposes of debate, notorious criminals are individuals who have committed serious crimes and have become widely known to the public due to the gravity, scale, or sensational nature of their offenses. They generate billions in profit, maintain a private army of assassins and use extreme violence and intimidation to protect operations and eliminate rivals. Examples include individuals such as Pablo Escobar, Griselda Blanco and Carlos Lehder.

A paternalistic state is one where the government actively intervenes in the lives of citizens to protect their welfare, safety, and moral interests, even if this means restricting individual freedom or choice.

A libertarian state is one where the government’s role is minimal, limited only to protecting individual rights, property, and security, while allowing citizens maximum personal and economic freedom to make their own choices.

The Philippines and China have an ongoing dispute in the South China Sea due to overlapping claims to islands, reefs, and maritime zones which are both militarily and economically valuable. Canada and the Philippines are now finalizing a new military cooperation agreement that will allow joint training, troop visits, and closer defense collaboration in the region. The region was already heavily militarised by troops and nuclear powered submarines from Australia, United Kingdom and United States under the AUKUS pact to deter China's growing presence and threat.

The College of Cardinals is a group of senior clergy in the Roman Catholic Church, appointed directly by the Pope, usually from among experienced bishops and archbishops who have shown strong leadership or service to the Church. It serves as the Pope’s main advisory body and holds the exclusive responsibility of electing a new Pope when the position becomes vacant. This election takes place in a secret meeting called the papal conclave, held in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, where the cardinals vote in successive rounds until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority and accepts the role of spiritual leader of the world’s Catholics.

 In the Catholic Church, the seal of confession (also known as the seal of the confessional or the sacramental seal) is the absolute duty of priests not to disclose anything that they learn from penitents during the course of the Sacrament of Penance (confession).

The Gulabi Gang is a women-led vigilante group based in India that uses violent tactics to oppose gender violence and social injustice against women, advocating for women's rights and empowerment in rural communities.

Feminist storytelling is a practice that focuses on telling women's stories to challenge patriarchal norms, amplify marginalized voices, and create a more nuanced understanding of women's experiences. 

A lavender marriage is a heterosexual marriage of convenience between two people who are not romantically or sexually interested in each other, typically to conceal the fact that one or both partners are LGBTQ. 

In recent years, tech companies have developed AI companions and chatbots like Replika or Character.AI to solicit "automated intimacy". Automated intimacy refers to emotionally responsive interactions such as affection, empathy, or companionship that are simulated or mediated by such AI companions and chatboxes.

For the purposes of this debate, the "Mohit principle", says "anticipate losses, but don’t anticipate gains". Within relationships, it would entail  elements like being prudent, checking for compatability, self preservation, emotional readiness etc. 

Chaebols are large, family-owned conglomerates that dominate the economy in South Korea. They are characterized by their diversified business operations, vertical integration, and close-knit family control. Chaebols often operate through interconnected subsidiaries and are influential in both the domestic and global markets. Examples include Samsung, LG and Hyundai.

Private equity is an investment where firms use capital from institutions and high-net-worth individuals to buy and manage companies that are not listed on a public stock exchange. The goal is to improve the company's performance and then sell it for a profit

The Tata Group is India’s largest conglomerate, with major companies like TCS, Tata Steel, and Tata Motors. It’s controlled by Tata Sons, whose majority owner, Tata Trusts, is a group of charitable foundations. Recently, internal conflicts have arisen within Tata Trusts and Tata Sons over leadership, governance, and control especially about who makes key decisions and whether Tata Sons should be listed publicly. These disputes have raised concerns about transparency, accountability, and stability within the group.

Emotional subjectivity refers to the tendency of individuals or groups to form judgments, make decisions, or interpret events based on personal feelings, emotions, or lived experiences. Dispassionate objectivity refers to the ability to make judgments or decisions based solely on facts, logic, and evidence without being influenced by personal emotions or biases.

 Rights of nature, contrary to the statis quo of treatinf nature as property under law, refers to the recognition that natural beings ( includes trees , water bodies, landscapes) have a right to exist and be recognised as legal persons

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) requires social-media influencers who publish content on “sensitive” domains such as health, law, policy, education or economics  to have verified professional qualifications (for example a university degree, a formal license or recognized certification) before publishing any related content. The platforms hosting such influencers must verify these credentials, including clear citations and disclaimers. Non-compliance can lead to fines, takedowns of content and account suspension/closure.

Journalistic objectivity is the principle of presenting news in a fair, neutral, and unbiased way by separating personal opinions and emotions from reporting.

Brainrot content refers to digital media that is considered entertaining, trivial, simplistic, and  low in quality.