LincolnDouglas Debate

1
Lincoln-Douglas Debate

• Resolutions
• Values
• Criteria
• Cross-Examination
• Flow
• Participation
• The Big 5 Philosophers

2
Resolutions

• These are the topics that are debated
• Each debater is assigned a position
• Affirmative side defends the resolution
• Negative side argues that the resolution is a bad
  idea
• Technically, the burden is on the negative side
• Judges decisions are very subjective (Judges
  decisions can be made on the basis of manners,
  likeability, delivery, posture, dress, mood,
  weather etc.)

3
Examples of Past Resolutions

• A just government should provide healthcare to
  its citizens.
• An individual's obligation to society ought to
  outweigh society's obligation to the individual.
• A lesser developed nation's right to develop
  ought to take priority over its obligation to
  protect the environment.
• Decentralized governmental power ought to be a
  fundamental goal of democratic society.

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L-D Debate Speech Delivery Order

• 1. Affirmative Constructive (AC)
  6 min.
• 2. Negative Cross-Examination (NCX)
  3 min.
• 3. Negative Constructive (NC)
  7 min.
• 4. Affirmative Cross-Examination (ACX)
  3 min.
  
• 5. First Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR)
  4 min.
• 6. Negative Rebuttal (NR)
  6 min.
• 7. Second Affirmative Rebuttal (2AR)
  3 min.

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Value Serves as the overall theme for your case.
Affirmative and Negative cases will both have a
value. A value is just a desirable concept.

• Justice
• Freedom/ Liberty
• Sanctity of Life vs. Quality of Life
• Human Rights
• Free Expression / Speech
• Democracy
• Equality
• Societal Good / General Will / Society

• Majority Rule
• National Interest / National Security
• Legitimate Government
• Individualism / Autonomy
• Safety
• Progress
• Privacy

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Value2 Some values are better than others
7
Value3 Value Hierarchy Continued
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Criteria

• Further define the value-narrow it down
• Tells the judge how you are going to achieve the
  value

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Common Criteria (Criterionsingular)

• Social Contract
• Categorical Imperative
• Utility
• Harm Principle
• Cost Benefit Analysis
• Market Place of Ideas
• Pragmatism
• Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

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Common marriages of value and criteria (v)
justice (c) giving every man his due (c)
equality of opportunity (c) promote
individual fundament rights (c) accommodates
individual autonomy (v) legitimate govt (c)
consistent with the social contract (c)
provides for security (c) follows the general
will (c) consistent with international
standards
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Case Building 6 steps

• The quote from one of the big 5 philosophers
  that defines the your value
• I agree/disagree with the resolution
• Definitions
• Value desirable concept e.g.) Justice, and then
  find a quote supports your value. Definition from
  one of the big 5- a different quote than from the
  beginning.
• Criterion How we achieve the value. Be able to
  explain the relationship
• Contentions with evidence and analysis

12
Cross Examination

• Flow during your opponents speech (flow means
  take notes)
• Have at least three questions ready to go as soon
  as your opponent ends the speech
• Attack your opponents case
• DONT LOOK AT YOUR OPPONENT!!!!!
• This adds credibility to your opponents case

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Flow Note taking (a record of arguments that
have been made)

• Purposes of Flowing
• Essential to an organized presentation
• Enables a direct clash- debaters must attack
  opponents cases, not just recite their own cases
• Your flow is your notes, without it the opponents
  case is nearly impossible to follow
• If you dont respond to one of your opponents
  arguments-youve dropped it
• You see what the judge sees
• Two colors of ink is a good idea
• AffGreen or Black
• Neg Red
• Develop your own shorthand or symbols for
  abbreviation

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Flow Note taking
15
The Big 5 Philosophers

• Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) German and Polish
  heritage- the last major philosopher of the
  Enlightenment
• John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) British philosopher
  and advocate of utilitarianism (Utilitarianism
  the moral worth of an action is based solely on
  its contribution to the overall utility)
• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) British thinker who is
  best remembered for his thoughts on political
  science. Contributed to thoughts on social
  contract, political philosophy, history and
  ethics. (Social Contract broad class of
  philosophical theories whose subject is the
  implied agreements by which people form nations
  and maintain a social order)

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The Big 5 Philosophers continued

• John Locke (1632-1704) English philosopher
  equally credited with thoughts on social contract
• Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Like John Lock,
  Swiss philosopher Rousseau believed that a
  government can only be legitimate if it has been
  sanctioned by the people, in the role of the
  sovereign. Rousseau claimed that a perfect
  society would be controlled by the "general will"
  of its populace.

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Participation

• Tournaments
• Time- All day Friday and Saturday
• Etiquette
• Dress
• Manners
• Judges
• Pretty subjective event
• Ask questions before a round- be kind and
  respectful just like in sports