by Anthony Severin | Jul 11, 2021 | Advocacy, Basics, Counterplans, Fiat, From Advanced to National-Class, Negative, Theory, Uncategorized
What must an affirmative team do to win a policy debate round? The affirmative should win if they convince the judge that the audience and the debaters are better off if the judge votes affirmative. Conversely, the negative should win if they convince the judge that...
by Jeremiah Mosbey | Feb 9, 2021 | Basics, Fiat, From Novice to Intermediate, Theory, TP
If you’ve been in debate for any length of time, you’re probably well aware of the principle of fiat power. You’ve read about it in debate manuals, learned about it in camp, and probably even argued it in actual rounds. In fact, it’s even addressed in other Ethos...
by Thaddeus Tague | Sep 29, 2018 | Advocacy, Fiat, Negative, Strategy, Technique
This is, hands down, the topic that I cover most as a coach. Every debater, new or experienced, has been in this situation. Listening to the first affirmative speaker (or PRO or GOV or PROP), and recognizing that not only do you NOT have any prepped material on what...
by Joshua Hu | Jun 16, 2017 | Debate Blog, Fiat, Inherency, Theory, Topicality
In both debate circles and the “real-world”, it’s a shame that bad arguments prevail. But it’s not the blatantly false arguments which remain; rather, it’s the appealing and seemingly simple points which misguide listeners and debaters alike. These arguments become...
