League Policies
Value debate challenges students to think critically about the ideals held by individuals and societies. It seeks to discover which values should drive decision-making rather than advocate for a particular course of action. For example, the question of the environment for value debate is not “what should we do to protect the environment?” but rather “should we value the environment above the economy?”
Debaters use different ways to structure cases and arguments, but you can anticipate that many rounds will feature the following categories of argumentation.
- Precise definitions: The words in a value resolution often have different nuances of meaning, and precise definitions may be required to support an argument. Therefore, the selection and quality of key definitions can be important.
- Hierarchy of values: Debaters will appeal to values or ideals that they will contend their side of the resolution best supports.
- Criterion or standard: Debaters may offer a defined way to help explain, measure or evaluate which arguments best support the preeminent value they have identified.