Theory
“Smokey this is not ‘Nam...There are rules.” --Walter Sobchak
Purpose of theory
• Like competitive athletics, debate has defined rules and grey areas
• Unlike athletics we allow the competitors to help define where those rules
are and if we should allow something to included or excluded
• We are trying to allow the students to have argumentive control over the
debate
Structure of a theory argument
• There are two definitive parts. It is
important that every argument
have both parts
• What is the rule?
• Why is it important?
• Here is the rule
• This is how they break it
• This why our interpretation is good
• This is why it is important
Resolutional theory
• Whole resolution
• Plan based Affirmatives
• Affirmatives get to defend all of
the good of the resolution
• Affirmatives only have to defend
the plan
• Affs have to defend all of the
resolution
• Negs have much bigger ground
including topical counterplans
• No topical counterplans
• Policy Debate for the last 40 years
• Looks a lot like LD
Plan Based Affirmative Theory Prima Facie
Burdens
• Harms
• Solvency
• 100% -> 1% Aff Based
• 100%->1% Aff Based
• Offense/Defense
• Role of evidence
• Util/Deontology/
Plan Based Affirmative Theory Prima Facie
Burdens
• Inherency
• Topicality
• 100% -> 1%
• Structure
• Structural
• Standards
• Gap (Some not all)
• Effects T (Fx)
• Attitudinal
• Extra T (xt)
• Existential
• Reverse Voter
Counter Plans
• Fiat vs No Fiat
• Delay
• Intl Fiat
• Advantage
• 50 State Fiat
• Status of CP
• Object Fiat
• Unconditional Conditional and
Dispositional
• Consult CP
• Conditioning
• Offsets
• Agent
• Permutations
• Severance Timeframe Intrinsic
Framework aka no plan text
• Just like a Topicality debate but it
is distinctly different
• The Impact is going to boil down
to possible things Fairness or
Education
• Possible standards
• Predictibility Fairness Ground
Education Utopian Thinking Switch
Side Debate
• Key is who accesses the
opponents arguments
Putting Theory into action
• Template for phrasing theory arguments
• Theory Mini-Debates—carving out theory
• Their use of _____ in this round justifies
rejecting the team because:
• 2AC—30-45 seconds
• 3 bullet points or more that then use link
and impact
• Our specific use of ______ in this round is a
justifiable interpretation because:
• This allows the counter interpretation and
clash with specific negative arguments to
be embedded in the bullet points
• Neg block—1:00-1:30
• 1AR—1:00-2:30
• 2NR—up to 2:30
• 2AR—up to 5:00