DEBATE basics revised

8/4/2019 DEBATE basics revised

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DEBATE

Debate is the art of persuasion. As an art, it helps develop specific skills; and most importantly, very valuable

paradigms critical for citizens in any democracy.

Whats so good about debating?

Debate helps develop critical thinking skills

Debate improves listening, language and communication skills

Debate is a learning process

Debate fosters issue awareness

Debate develops tolerant and open-minded future leaders

Debate is fun

WHAT IS AN ARGUMENT?

When people create and critique arguments, it's helpful to understand what an argument is and is not. Sometimes

an argument is seen as a verbal fight, but that is not what is meant in these discussions. Sometimes a person thinks theyare offering an argument when they are only providing assertions.

Perhaps the simplest explanation of what an argument is comes from Monty PythonsArgument Clinic sketch:

An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a definite proposition. ...an argument is

an intellectual process... contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says.

This may have been a comedy sketch, but it highlights a common misunderstanding: to offer an argument, you cannot

simply make a claim or gainsay what others claim.

An argument is a deliberate attempt to move beyond just making an assertion. When offering an argument, you are

offering a series of related statements which represent an attempt to support that assertion to give others good

reasons to believe that what you are asserting is true rather than false.

Here are examples of assertions:

1. Shakespeare wrote the playHamlet.

2. The Civil War was caused by disagreements over slavery.3. God exists.

4. Prostitution is immoral.

Sometimes you hear such statements referred to as propositions. Technically speaking, a proposition is the

informational content of any statement or assertion. To qualify as a proposition, a statement must be capable of being

either true or false.

The above represent positions people hold, but which others may disagree with. Merely making the above statements

does not constitute an argument; no matter how often one repeats the assertions. To create an argument, the person

making the claims must offer further statements which, at least in theory, support the claims. If the claim is supported,

the argument is successful; if the claim is not supported, the argument fails.

This is the purpose of an argument: to offer reasons and evidence for the purpose of establishing the truth value of a

proposition, which can mean either establishing that the proposition is true or establishing that the proposition is false.

If a series of statements does not do this, it isnt an argument.

Motion

A motion is a general unambiguously-worded statement or proposition that is given to the debaters as an indication of

what the topic of the debate is going to be about.

There are 3 kinds of motions

1. OPEN MOTION the first kind, which can be defined quite liberally. An example of an open motion is This

house should apologize. ( e.g. Japanese people issuing an apology to comfort women; AustralianGovernment issuing an apology for the aborigines of the Stolen Generation)

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2. SEMI-CLOSED MOTION, which is the middle-ground in how much leeway the PM has in defining the

motion. This house would regulate free trade. With a motion such as this, there are still a lot of things that

need to be defined, such as who should regulate free trade and what aspect of it.

3. CLOSED MOTION it is the most limiting in terms of defining motions. Example: This house believes that

the World Trade Organization should liberalize agriculture trade. In this case, it leaves no doubt that the

definition should be about how the WTO should proceed about liberalizing agriculture trade.

Definition

Definitions must have a clear and logical link to the motion. Motions must be defined according to the spirit of

the motion. This means that while a motion may indicate a general idea, there is probably a specific topic that the

motion is trying to pinpoint for debate and this is the expected definition that most debaters will look for.

(Discretion of PM)

Definitional Challenges

Who May Initiate a Definitional Challenge and On What Grounds is a Definitional Challenge Issued?

Definitions may be challenged if they are either of the following: truism, squirrel, time set, and place set.

Aspects of a Good Definition

theSpecifics

WHAT

is the proposal all about?

policy is going to be implemented?

are the issues in the debate?

problem is the debate seeking to resolve?

WHO

is involved?

will be implementing the policy?

WHY

is this proposal important?

is the principle relevant?

Standards

What debaters usually envision to be the measuring stick of the effectivity of their proposal or the correctness of their

arguments.

Example:

THBT carbon trading works

A standard defining works is essential in proving the motion. You can provide a standard of whether or not the

carbon trading proposal works if it meets any of these criteria:1. if it decreases pollution

2. if it increases participation from other state and non-state actors in solving the environmental problem

Parameters

Parameters just like standards provide more clarity in defining issues for debate. The function of parameters is to set

the scope for the debate, or its limitations. Following the previous example, the parameter for that same debate could

be that the implementation of the policy is limited to the case offirst world nations.

Case Construction

At the heart of every good debate is the quality of argumentation. We stress the word quality to indicate that ultimately

the most important factors in any persuasive speech are the explanation and analysis presented by the speaker.

Academic debate is not about how many arguments you can come up with, nor is it about how often you repeat them.

Structuring Your Case

Generally speaking, a good constructive speech will contain around 2-4 well-analyzed arguments.

It is important to outline your arguments at the beginning and at the end of your speech to make it easier for judges to

follow you; this is what is usually referred to assignposting.

Rebuttal (except for the Prime Minister)

Case Outline- Argument, Argument 2, Argument 3

Argument 1- Label

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Analysis

Example

Argument 2- Label

Analysis

Example

Argument 3- Label

Analysis

Example

Case Summary- Argument, Argument 2, Argument 3

Labeling Your Argument

Novice debaters may feel that a fancier sounding label can be more convincing. Nothing could be farther from the

truth. Make sure that your label is straight to the point and captures the basic thought behind your argument. Use

simple terms which are easy to remember. Note that your labels are usually the first things which adjudicators will

write down and they may play an important role when the adjudicators review their notes.

What is good analysis?

Arguments are analyzed in order to convince the judges or the audience of their merit. This involves proving your

arguments by providing examples and showing the reasoning behind them. Explaining the reasoning behind your

argument usually requires you to answer two questions: why? and so what? For instance, you want to argue that

Proposal A is bad because it leads to X. It is not enough to say that it leads to X; you have to show why it leads to Xand in most cases how it leads to X. The process of asking these questions can often lead you to search for deeper anddeeper explanations.

Example: This House Would Legalize Prostitution

Argument: Legalizing prostitution will lead to greater protection of women.

Why? Legalizing prostitution will lead to greater protection of women because once the occupation is legalized;

prostitutes will be allowed to access the services of law enforcement agencies and the courts to combat abusive clients

and agents.

So what? Such a policy of legalization and protection is more in line with government responsibility. Given the

governments inability to provide viable job alternatives or social services, the least it can do is extend legal protection

to women who are left with no choice by poverty but to engage in the sex trade.

Using Examples

One of the most common mistakes made by debaters is substituting examples for analysis. For instance, We should

legalize prostitution because in Victoria it helped protect women. Examples should be used to strengthen or prove the

explanation for an argument. They should not be expected to stand alone.

POIs

Keep it short: You just have fifteen seconds!

It is the discretion of the person speaking whether to recognize the point or not

Types of POIs:Clarification

Question

Direct rebuttal

Introducing your argument

Bringing back your argument

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DEBATE basics revised