The Debate tab is the heart of The Why. This walkthrough takes you from the welcome screen through setting up and finishing your first debate.
We've picked a starting point for you. Adjust anything you like.
The first time you open the Debate tab, we pick a gentle starting point for you: a respectful agnostic, the problem of evil, and a calm conversation five turns long.
Tap Start Debate to jump straight in, or Customize to change anything.
Open-minded but unconvinced — asks honest questions.
Combative and confident — argues religion does harm.
Only voices built for this topic are shown.
Setup starts with the topic — that decides which Voices make sense to debate. Choose a curated topic, or pick My Own Argument to open with your own case (you can even upload a document for the Voice to take apart).
Tap the small ⓘ on any card to read more before you commit.
Common objections, plainly put
A sharp, well-read skeptic
A rigorous scholar
Temperament controls how the Voice engages — the same Voice feels completely different when it's calm and Socratic versus intellectually aggressive.
Difficulty ranges from the person on the street to a rigorous scholar, and turn count sets how long the debate runs. Then tap Start Debate.
The Voice argues its actual position, built from primary sources — and it responds to what you say, not a script. Type your argument, or tap the microphone to speak it.
The header shows who you're debating and where you are in the turn count. You can Pause anytime.
You — Needs context: "Darwin abandoned his faith entirely"
Darwin described himself as agnostic, not atheist, and pointed to multiple reasons — his daughter's death among them. Careful with overstated biography.
Turn on Guidance and each exchange is fact-checked — yours included. When a claim is inaccurate, contested, or needs context, a card appears right in the conversation explaining why.
It keeps the debate honest without interrupting it.
You'll still receive your Debrief. Your progress is saved.
You can concede at any point; your progress is saved and the Debrief still runs. If you go the distance, the turn-limit screen congratulates you with "Debate complete" and offers View Debrief.
Closing the app mid-debate is fine too — a Resume card waits on the Debate tab.
After every debate you get a personal Debrief — what you handled well, the arguments you missed, fallacies used against you, Scripture anchors, and more.
It's the most valuable screen in the app, so it gets its own walkthrough: Reading your Debrief.