Debate Basics: Fundamental Elements of Debate

ESPECIALLY IN DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES, debate happens in various settings. Debates take place in schools, in the halls of different government branches, and many other institutions. Whatever format it may take, whatever occasion or in whatever venue, debate allows us to stand and reason with our arguments.

Debate, basically, is a contest in argumentation. To join in a debate is to formally talk or argue about something, usually at length and in detail, especially as part of a formal exchange of opinions, reasons, and proofs. Debate is essentially tied with correct reasoning as debating is proving that your reasoning and arguments are better than your opponents’.

Academic vs. Religious Debate

When we say ‘debate,’ we basically mean ‘academic debate,’ although there are debates that are different from ‘academic’ such as those considered religious, political, and the like. As a way of discussing some basicthings about academic debate, let us compare it to religious debate.

Academic Debate is not exactly the same but is very much related to Religious Debate. In fact, if one wants to be a good religious debater, academic debate is a very helpful training ground as much as Wrestling is quite useful in Mixed Martial Arts.

The basic difference between these two (2) types of debate is that, Religious Debate is a search for true faith or teaching; while Academic Debate is nothing but just a contest in argumentation, usually about secular matters. The proposition in Religious Debate is so crucial for it determines the truth or falsity of a particular doctrine or religious dogma, whereas in Academic Debate, the proposition is just like a chessboard and what’s really important are the chess players and their respective skills.

If the proposition, for instance, in Academic Debate is about the implementation of death penalty and the negative side happens to win, it does not necessarily suggest that death penalty is bad or wrong. In Academic Debate, it only means that the debaters on the negative side are incidentally better than their opponents in that particular debate, at least in the sight of the judges.

In Religious Debate, on the other hand, the focus is not much on the personality, skill, or talent of the debaters (though they also matter, of course), but on the ‘truth’ of the teaching they are advocating. After all, it’s the audience that serves as the judges in a Religious Debate, for unlike in Academic Debate, it (Religious Debate) has no official adjudicators.

Since Academic Debate is a contest in argumentation, training in ‘correct reasoning’ (like the subject Logic) could really help you in enhancing your ability to debate or reason out. (So if you want to be a good debater, better review what were taught to you in Logic and the previous topics in this site.)

Fundamental elements of academic debate

Academic debate is not synonymous to ‘ordinary conversation’, ‘boyfriend-girlfriend verbal fight’, ‘mother-daughter oral dispute’, and unserious philosophizing among friends. Unlike these forms of discourse, Academic Debate involves at least six (6) essential elements:

1. Proposition

Basically, debate proposition refers to the statement which contains the specific and well-defined issue or topic to be discussed. It is a statement of the position which the debater must establish or overthrow. Among other things, a statement to be considered a debate proposition must contain only one main topic. In a formal debate, that topic does not change nor shift throughout the discussion.

This is one of the reasons why ordinary conversation does not qualify as a debate. In ordinary conversation, as we all know, topic shifts and even branches out. The topic in ‘boyfriend-girlfriend verbal fight’ likewise shifts—that it may start with the guy’s being late in the date but circuitously end up with his infidelity in the past which he adamantly denies. Similarly, ‘mother-daughter oral dispute’ may begin with an argumentation about who should wash the dishes but eventually conclude with the daughter’s untimely romantic engagement with, let’s say, a seminarian (of all people!). (A comprehensive discussion on debate proposition can be found in the later subsection, “Debate Proposition and Issues.”)

2. Two opposing main views or sides

This is somewhat self-explanatory. Even crazy people probably would not engage in a debate about a particular topic on which they have the same stand. No opposing views, no debate.

Basically, it is as well not an academic debate if a discussion on a specific issue has more than two (2) main distinct views. That is the case with ‘unserious philosophizing among friends’ wherein in a single issue, aside from the extreme views (pro and against; affirmative and negative), there are usually middle grounds. ‘In-between’ positions in academic debate call for other independent debates.

The two opposing sides in academic debate are typically called the Affirmative Side (or Government/Proposition) and the Negative Side (or Opposition). The Affirmative Side carries the ‘burden of proof.’ As such, the debaters on this side must establish a ‘prima facie’ case concerning the proposition or motion. They must prove all aspects of their case as they cannot win, ideally speaking, based on the inability of the negative side to prove its case.

On the other hand, the Negative Side undertakes the ‘burden of rebuttal.’ That is, debaters on this side must refute the affirmative’s case. In principle, they cannot discuss anything unrelated to what the affirmative side brought up.

3. Form or format

Two (2) of the most common forms of debate are the (a) Traditional or Oxford debate, particularly the Oxford-Oregon, and the (b) Parliamentary form of debate.

(Experiences taught me the lesson that it is a must for a debater to be familiar with the rules of the debate. A good debater must also know how to exploit even the rules of the debate in trying to convince the judges that he deserves to win. “Winning by technicality” is winning nevertheless! After all, Academic Debate is just a contest. So here, winning oftentimes is everything.)

4. The Moderator (or Speaker of the House)

The Moderator (or Speaker of the House) in debate is someone in charge of the discussion. He acts as a keeper of order in the discussions by implementing the procedures and ruling on questions about the rules of the debate.

The role to be played by the Moderator (or Speaker of the House) requires him to be neutral or unbiased. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to look for a person who is genuinely non-partisan as we have no conclusive yardstick to determine whether or not a certain moderator is unprejudiced. (Whenever I am appointed to train and coach a debating team, I just wish that the moderator is fair enough, or if he is partial, I just pray that he be biased on our side.)

5. Time element

Everything in Academic Debate is timed. Speeches are timed, interpellations are timed, and so is break. A good debater therefore must learn to be brief and concise. (Take note that we used the term “brief” instead of “short.”)

6. Debate Stages

Formal as it is, debate follows some procedures like the various stages. Like professional boxers, debate contestants do not just engage in ‘fights’ when they meet just anywhere. The following are the stages usually followed in debate competitions:

6.1. Notice of Debate

The notice of debate may be in a form of an invitation from the organizers to concerned parties. For instance, an institution sponsoring a debate may forward formal letters to various schools announcing about the debate and inviting them to join by sending their respective representatives.

6.2. Pre-Debate Conference

The Pre-Debate Conference (PDC) refers to the meeting called for the opposing teams to meet prior to the debate proper. It is commonly administered by an organizers’ representative. During the conference, the side (affirmative or negative) to be taken by each team is fairly determined such as through ‘toss coin.’

Though the debate proposition is commonly decided on by the organizers, the definitions of terms, ‘admitted matters,’ and ‘non-admitted matters’ concerning the proposition are identified by the opposing teams during the pre-debate conference. A ‘PDC sheet’ (usually containing the proposition, definitions of terms, admitted matters, non-admitted matters, and names of the debaters) signed by the team captains and the organizers’ representative is accomplished during this meeting. During the debate proper, the moderator and judges are provided with a copy of this PDC sheet.

6.3. Debate Proper

It is the event in which the contest in argumentation between two opposing teams happens in front of a Moderator (or Speaker of the House), Board of Judges, organizers, and audience. (© 2014 by Jensen DG. Mañebog/MyInfoBasket.com)

Also Check Out:
Reasoning and Debate: A Handbook and a Textbook by Jensen DG. Mañebog

Also Check Out: From Socrates to Mill: An Analysis of Prominent Ethical Theories, also by author Jensen DG. Mañebog