Debate Group 12 Josh French • Gabby Lawver Lizzie Malecha • Joey Pidde • Courtney Webster

Position: Against Edison Perspective: Victims of Edison Strategy: Edison has wronged too many.

Background Our group has been put in the position to be against the work of Thomas Edison as our particular focus will be based off of the perspective of victims of Edison’s work. We do believe his research should be discontinued for a number of reasons. One example would include Edison’s maltreatment and dishonesty towards others within his line of work as well as within his everyday life. From taking credit for other people’s innovations, public arguments involving other inventors such as Nikola Tesla, and the death of Topsy the elephant Edison is surely a questionable man. The death of Topsy was intentionally done publicly by Edison in an attempt to prove that his Direct Current ideas were more logical than an Alternating Current plan (Tesla’s idea); which Edison knew to be false prior to the murder. Another issue that arises along with Thomas Edison is the concept that there were nearly 22 others that had pioneered the invention ● Explain the character of your circumstances He’s killed an elephant with Alternated Current as a publicity stunt to ruin Tesla’s idea to make his Direct Current idea look better . Prior to contrary belief there were 22 people who pioneered the light bulb before him, Edison just knew how to sell it. ● What concerns do you take to matter to you the most? ○ Our concerns include that Edison has wronged in many ways that cannot be taken back. These include the mistreatment of animals and also the discredit to the actual innovators of Edison’s “inventions”. What secondary concerns to you take to be important as well? [Different perspectives]

What is relevant to your analysis: ● For years schools have been teaching the fact that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, although, contrary to that fact, Joseph Swan, a Britsih inventor, had first obtained the patent for the same light bulb in Britain one whole year before Edison’s patent date. Swan took Edison to court, only for Edison to lose the suit. Therefore, the British courts ordered Edison for part of the settlement to name Joseph Swan as a partner in his new company. Although, Swan as became a victim when Edison somehow managed to acquire all of Swans’ interest, with the newly renamed, Edison and Swan United Electric Company. ● “War of the Currents,” ended in determining the way people still get their power to this day. Edison would give local boys 25 cents for every stray dog they would bring to him, then subjecting the dogs to electric shocks. After this, a demonstration led by him for a New York committee, showed whether electricity could be used to put people to death. As slow as these animals deaths were, he sadly made his point. ● Edison’s biggest victim was Coney Island’s Topsy the elephant. Edison agreed to put down Topsy after unfortunate events occurred. In front of a crowd of thousands Topsy was dressed with copper-wire before 6,000 volts were sent through his whole body before he fell lifeless.

Your Task/Strategy: ● We are against Edison's work and have the perspective of the victims. Edison not only hurt many people but also animals. His work was most of the time based off of selfishness and the need of wanting to have all the glory.

What position on the relevant elements does your strategy take: ● Technological Innovation Commitments- ● Ethics of Patient Care- Making sure people are safe during studies is important. Edison was said to have shocked stray dogs, people, and even killed an elephant by doing so. ● Patient Privacy Ethics-Patient privacy is a major factor when it comes to any type of study. Edison often did a lot of his studies very publicly. ● Business Ethical Concerns- Edison has broken many ethical concerns including integrity and trust, and health and safety. He has taken credit for many innovations that he hasn’t created or invented. He also has put aside the health and safety of others to continue his “research”. ● Your Timeline for Roll out

Justification- Our justification for our viewpoints is that Edison has done terrible things to the people he does experiment on and with. He has taken credit from things he shouldn’t have and taken his powers to the extreme. He has abused his rights to “his” inventions and this should therefore end any research involving him.

Counterpoints The biggest point that makes what Edison’s drama not significant is if you separate the art from the artist our in our case invention from invention to inventor. Edison attributions to modern day technology is very impressive regardless of the fact he may have mooched other people. In this case it depends on how you feel personally about his integrity which is why we believe that you can’t look past the fact how he treated others. If circumstances were slightly different Edison possibly wouldn’t be known as the inventor of the light bulb.

Personal Plea: [Make the case for your strategy as the particular you are, from your particular perspective.] We need to end any continuing research that involves Edison and his work. He has caused too many issues and hurt too many people to have his rights into any inventions. He has abused his powers and his research should end.

Citations https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/why-did-thomas-edison-electrocute- elephant.htm Palermo, Elizabeth. “Who Invented the Light Bulb?” LiveScience, August 17, 2017. https://www.livescience.com/43424-who-invented-the-light-bulb.html. Lisi, Brian. “Thomas Edison's Shocking History of Electrocuting Dogs, Horses and People.” DailyNews, February 12, 2017.

Possible citations http://www.lateralscience.co.uk/edison/index.html https://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla