Words and Definitions You Need to Know

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Words and Definitions You Need to Know
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• Presumption the inherent advantage in opposing
  change to the status quo (or present system).
  The opposition to change enjoys presumption. They
  want what already exists to continue to exist.
  If it aint broke, dont fix it.
• Advocate The person or group who wants change.
  In debate, theyre called the affirmative. The
  affirmative has the obligation to provide
  sufficient evidence and argument to overcome
  presumption. In other words, advocates have to
  prove that there is a need for change in the
  status quo.
• Burden of proof The affirmative has the burden
  of proof. He/she must present sufficient reasons
  to overcome presumption. The basic rule of
  burden of proof is that whoever asserts or wants
  change must prove that 1) there is a need for
  change, 2) the advocates plan will satisfy that
  need.
• Since the advocate brings for the claim, he/she
  has the burden to prove it.

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Inherency

• The advocate must demonstrate that there is some
  cause in the status quo that is either creating
  the need or preventing the status quo from
  solving the problemthus, its likely to
  continue. The debater must prove that the
  essential elements of the case are inherent,
  essential, or intrinsic in things.
• The affirmative must prove that the problem is
  inherent in the status quo the negative must
  prove that the value objections or disadvantages
  are inherent in the affirmative case.
• Example Certain factors are inherent in various
  elements of the case privacy issues in
  politiciansa debater would establish just what
  was inherent in the right to privacy and why
  that is inherently more important than other
  constitutional rights such as freedom of the
  press.

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Inherency

• During the research process consider the
  following generic barriers to solving the problem
  in that status quo.
• There are 4 types of barriers
• Attitudinal
• Physical
• Economic
• Political

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Harms

• The following are generic questions and issues
  that will guide you in building your
  argument/case
• What are the problems caused by the resolution
  not being in place at the current time?
• Describe the extent and significance of the
  problem/s.
• Who is hurt by keeping the status quo? To what
  extent? How many are hurt?

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Stock Issues

• Issues that typically arise in each type of
  argument and proposition. Theyre just standard
  questions that are applicable to any topic. We
  use stock issue analysis as a means of
  understanding the issues in a proposition. They
  are called stock because they serve as a
  generic guide to propositional analysis and are
  used to organize an argument/case.
• These are standard questions to ask, but they are
  not sufficiently specific to the issues of any
  one particular proposition.
• Both the affirmative and the negative use stock
  issues in their analysis. The affirmative used
  them to discover the issues they will advance.
  The negative uses them to anticipate the issues
  and claims they must refute and also in terms of
  the disadvantages that the negative will promote
  and advance.
• Some typical stock issue questions
• Is there a need for a change in the status quo?
• Is the proposed change practical?
• Is the proposed change desirable?
• What does the proposition mean?
• Which standards/criteria should be used to
  determine if the proposition is true or good or
  bad or right or wrong?
• How do we apply the standards/criteria?
• What are the advantages of the solution?
• What are the disadvantages?
• Is the plan workable?

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Prima Facie Case

• Is the Latin term for first face.
• It is the responsibility of the advocate or
  affirmative side.
• Its a case that on the face of it, or at first
  glance, is strong enough to satisfy the burden of
  proof on necessary stock issues.
• It is strong enough that the advocate can
  temporarily suspend presumption the opponents
  or negatives status quo advantage.

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Prima Facie Case

• The advocate has established his/her prima facie
  case of a proposition of fact if he/she has met
  these stock issues
• The advocate has define his/her terms in a
  specific enough way that the audience can
  determine the threshold of his/her burden of
  proof.
• He/she established the presence of a
  phenomenon/problem/issue.
• He/she presented the effect significance of the
  phenomenon.
• He/she demonstrated the inherent causes of these
  effects.