Introduction to Debate
Debate is a vibrant and rigorous activity that is practiced around the country and the world. Students take opposing positions on an issue and attempt to persuade a third party (the judge).
Through debate, students must defend both sides of any topic, and through research, argumentation, and discussion with others, students broaden their perspectives and learn more about a variety of issues.
The debate topic is referred to as the "resolution" and it is phrased as a proposition that one side agrees with (affirms) and one side disagrees with (negates). Thus, each side is respectively called the affirmative and the negative.
Examples of resolutions include:
- "Resolved: Capitalism is the most just economic system"
- "Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its public health assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa"
- "Resolved: Hamburgers are better than hot dogs"
Anything can be debated so long as there are grounds for debate, and the resolution is not heavily biased for one side. An example of a resolution that would not be debatable is "Resolved: The sky is blue."
Debate can be expressed in many different formats, with a wide variety of variations. The number of debaters on each side can vary (1, 2 or 3 debaters on each side). The type of topic can differ (whether the topic debated is a specific proposal or the underlying values behind a policy decision). The amount of time debaters have for each speech can be different.
What unifies all forms of debate is a give and take of ideas where debaters have the opportunity to persuade others to their position.
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Perspectives teachesstudents Lincoln-Douglas Debate, a type of debate modeled after the historical debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD) is a one-on-one, values-based debate.
That LD is a values-based debate means that students are not intended to debate specific policy proposals. Instead, LD focuses on the underlying value decisions to enact certain proposals and the philosophical beliefs that are used to justify certain actions.
For example, on a topic like school safety vs. student civil liberties, LD does not focus on whether school uniforms should be implemented in public schools or whether metal detectors are effective, but rather, on whether the value of school safety overrides the value of student civil liberties.
LD is a unique form of debate that exposes students to the pressing social, political, economic, and environmental issues of our time. Through the process, students gain a valuable introduction to philosophy, including learning about concepts from Kant's categorical imperative to Locke's social contract to Rawls' veil of ignorance. In addition, students read scholarly journals, essays, and news magazines widely in order to brainstorm arguments, write cases, and prepare rebuttal strategies.
LD is a debate that is focused on logical argumentation. While other forms of debate emphasize research, diplomacy, or oratory, LD rewards students who develop their critical thinking skills and advanced argumentation ability.
Past LD resolutions have included:
- "Resolved: When in conflict, academic freedom in U.S. high schools ought to be valued above community standards"
- "Resolved: A government's obligation to protect the environment ought to take precedence over its obligation to promote economic development"
- "Resolved: In matters of collecting military intelligence, the ends justify the means"
To learn more about Lincoln-Douglas debate, please read some of Perspectives' publications.