This is where all download will be listed, utilizing the Page Add plugin.
File Name | S22-LD-Stoa-Strategies.docx |
File Size | 40.17 KB |
Date added | September 13, 2021 |
Category | Lincoln-Douglas (Stoa) |
Author | Mark Csoros |
Resolved: In the field of biomedical engineering, restraint ought to be prioritized over scientific advancement.
In Lincoln Douglas debate, most rounds are won or lost before the rebuttal speeches even begin. In fact, most rounds are won or lost before the two-minute mark of the Negative’s constructive. For all the attention paid to values, applications, contentions, cross-examination, and rhetoric, the most important part of LD is how the resolution is framed.
Conceptually, resolutional framing refers to the process of defining resolutional clash. Clash simply means “conflict between the two sides of the resolution,” and it’s such an important part of LD because of the word “over” in the resolution. Obviously, restraint and scientific advancement are both generally good things, and in a perfect world we could prioritize both. But because the resolution reflects the realities of an imperfect world, we have to choose one above the other, which means that we must debate about circumstances in which restraint and scientific advancement clash (or are in conflict). Thus, resolutional frameworks demonstrate how and when the two sides of the resolution clash, which allowing us to see what it really means to value one side of the resolution above the other.
In practice, resolutional framing impacts nearly every aspect of LD debate. It determines which applications are used (by indicating which applications demonstrate clash) how applications are used (by revealing which examples fall on which side of the resolution), how cases are structured, and how persuasive rhetoric is deployed. But despite their importance, frameworks are often treated as an afterthought, or mentioned briefly in a point of Resolutional Analysis and then ignored for the rest of the round. Effectively framing the resolution’s conflict provides a huge advantage, and this article is designed to help you gain and hold that advantage.
There are four main sections in this piece. The first introduces a unique difficulty in effective framing posed by the wording of this resolution. The following three sections lay out some strategic methods of overcoming that difficulty, along with the respective strengths and vulnerabilities of those methods.