Critical Thinking Through Debate

Chapter Three

First, a review In chapter one, the text discussed

debate as a process – what did they mean by that?

What are the three means of persuasion according to Aristotle? Provide an example of each.

On the next page are a number of resolutions – identify them as fact, value or policy.

Fact, value or policy? The State of California should raise taxes in

order to lower the deficit. Extraterrestrials crashed in Roswell, New

Mexico during the 1950s. Movies made in America have more graphic

violence and gratuitous sex than they did ten years ago.

The environment should be valued over energy production when evaluating new dam building.

A little more review

What are three ways of defining terms in debate?

What are the stock issues identified by the text for policy debate?

An update on stock issues S. = Significance

H. = Harms

I. = Inherency

T. = Topicality

S. = Solvency

Chapter Three

The Resolution: The Focus of Debate

RESOLVED

Resolutions – why have them?

Provides judge with a guideline of what they are voting for/against at the end of the debate.

Used to limit the debate and provide for predictability of what the other side will talk about.

Presumption

Consider law – what is “presumed” before a legal criminal case begins?

In debate, we “presume” that the status quo is innocent (or good enough) until proven guilty (or so bad we have to risk a change).

Burden of Proof

If the status quo gets presumption, then who has the burden of proof?

Burden of Clash

AKA – Burden of “rejoinder”

“Silence means consent.”

Must respond at the first chance (next speech).

Standards of ProofRule to live/debate by:

In debate, there is no truth with a capital T. Probability is the best we can hope for.

Possible: Not impossible, but not at all likely to happen.

Plausible: Possible, but more likely NOT to happen then to happen.

Probable: Not certain, but more likely to happen then not to happen.

Certain: Definitely will happen.

Standards of Proof for Policy Debate

Must measure the following: RISK of the good or bad thing occurring

– this is likelihood or probability. MAGNITUDE of the good or bad thing –

is it a HUGE positive or negative, or just a SMALL positive or negative?

DIFFICULTY OF CORRECTING A MISCALCULATION. CAN it be corrected? How difficult would it be to correct?