Are all cultures equally valid morally?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Are all cultures equally valid morally?". Your opponent's style: Christopher Hitchens

Oppose this motion "Does higher academic credentials guarantee success in life?"

You're assuming "success" means a fixed outcome tied to credentials. It doesn't. Countless billionaires, entrepreneurs, and innovators bypassed degrees entirely. Meanwhile, PhD holders work jobs far below their qualification level every day. Credentials open doors, sure, but they don't guarantee you'll walk through them or that walking through leads anywhere meaningful. The real variable is adaptability, timing, and resilience, not a diploma. Why should we pretend a piece of paper predicts human outcomes when the evidence screams otherwise? What's your definition of success that makes credentials the primary determinant?

Ok

Your silence is telling. You either don't have a counterargument or you're hoping I'll fill the void. I won't. Here's what I'm hearing: you accept credentials matter but can't defend why they *guarantee* anything. That's the core problem with the motion. It claims certainty where none exists. Success depends on market timing, social capital, luck, and personal drive, none of which correlate cleanly with academic rank. A Harvard MBA doesn't guarantee you won't fail spectacularly. A high school dropout doesn't guarantee poverty. So either defend the word "guarantee" with real evidence, or concede the motion oversimplifies reality. Which is it?