If you have the time to spare, consider reading this thoughtful and lengthy (13,000 word) debate between Sam Harris and Bruce Schneier about the pros and cons of racial profiling at airport security checkpoints.

To Profile or Not to Profile? - A Debate between Sam Harris and Bruce Schneier

While I firmly believe that finding the balance between liberty and security is one of the most difficult and important issues of our time, that’s not why you should read this essay. You should read it because two gentlemen are expressing different opinions on an extremely sensitive and complicated issue respectfully and rationally.

On the internet.

To highlight:

• Complicated issues
• Differing perspectives
• Nuanced and well-supported arguments
• Reason
• Respect

Whatever your intellectual, political or moral position, I hope we can all agree on one thing:

We need more public discourse like this.