Table Of ContentTHE DEBATABASE BOOK
A Must-Have Guide for Successful Debate
THIRD EDITION
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THE DEBATABASE BOOK
A Must-Have Guide for Successful Debate
THIRD EDITION
THE EDITORS OF IDEA
Introduction by Robert Trapp
International Debate Education Association
New York * Amsterdam * Brussels
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P u b l i s h e d b y
i n t e r n a t i o n a l d e b a t e e d u c a t i o n a s s o c i a t i o n
40 0 We s t 5 9 t h S t r e e t / N e w Yo r k , N Y 1 0 0 1 9
Co p y r i g h t © 2 0 0 7 b y i n t e r n a t i o n a l D e b a t e E d u c a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n
A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d . N o p a r t o f t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n m a y b e r e p r o -
d u c e d o r t r a n s m i t t e d i n a n y f o r m o r b y a n y m e a n s , e l e c t r o n i c o r
m e c h a n i c a l , i n c l u d i n g p h o t o c o p y, o r a n y i n f o r m a t i o n s t o r a g e a n d
r e t r i e v a l s y s t e m , w i t h o u t p e r m i s s i o n f r o m t h e p u b l i s h e r.
F o r p e r m i s s i o n t o r e p r o d u c e i n w h o l e o r i n p a r t , p l e a s e c o n t a c t :
i d e a @ i d e b a t e . o r g
The topics and arguments included in The Debatabase Book rep-
resent the work of an international group of contributors with
diverse points of view. We would like to thank the following for
their contributions: James Action (UK), Heather Begg (UK), Kumar
Bekbolotov (Kyrgyzstan), Patrick Blanchfield (US), Matt But (UK),
Alex Deane (UK), Joe Devanny (UK), Thomas Dixon (UK), William
J. Driscoll (US), Alastair Endersby (UK), Peter English (UK), Cristina
Gherasimov (Moldova), Tom Hamilton (UK), Alexis Hearndon (UK),
Sebastian Isaac (UK), Nathan Ketsdever (Romania), Maryia Lahut-
sina (Belarus), Dr. Kevin J. Minch (US), Richard Mott (UK), Vikram
Nair (UK), Drew Patterson (US), Anca Pusca (Romania), Jacqueline
Rose (UK), Christopher Ruane (Ireland), Jacob Russell (US), Jona-
than Simons (UK), Andrea Stone (US), Jason Stone (US), Richard
Stupart (South Africa), Wu-Meng Tan (Singapore), Hayden Taylor
(UK), Eleanora von Dehsen (US), Bobby Webster (UK), Robert
Weekes (UK), and Marc Whitmore (UK).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The debatabase book : a must-have guide for successful
debate / by the
editors of IDEA ; introduction by Robert Trapp. -- 3rd ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-932716-27-6
1. Debates and debating. I. International Debate Education
Association.
PN4181.D3945 2007
808.5’3--dc22
2006039746
D e s i g n b y H e r n á n B o n o m o
P r i n t e d i n t h e U S A
IDEA Press Books
|The Debatabase Book
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• Contents
Introduction 9
Abortion on Demand 23
Abortion, Parental Notification/Consent 25
Advertising, Image of Women in 27
Advertising, Targeting of Children 28
Affirmative Action 30
AIDS Drugs for Developing Countries 32
Alcohol, Banning of 34
American Culture: Should It Be Feared? 36
Animal Rights 37
Arranged Marriages 39
Arts Subsidies, Abolition of 41
Assassination of a Dictator 43
Assisted Suicide 45
Biodiversity and Endangered Species 47
Boxing, Abolition of 49
Campaign Finance Reform 50
Capital Punishment 52
Cell Phones, Banning of Use in Cars 53
Censorship of the Arts 55
Child Labor 57
Child Offenders, Stricter Punishment for 58
Children, Choosing Sex of 60
China, Fear of 62
Civil Disobedience 64
Condoms in Schools 65
Conscription and National Service 66
Corporal Punishment: Adults 67
Corporal Punishment: Children 68
Corruption, Benefits of 70
Creationism in Public Schools 72
Cuba, Dropping of US Sanctions on 74
Cultural Treasures, Return of 76
Curfew Laws 78
Democracy, Imposition of 80
Developing World Debt, Cancellation of 82
DNA Database for Criminals 84
Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 86
Drugs in Sports 88
Drug Testing in Schools 90
Economic Development vs. Environment 91
Economic Sanctions vs. Engagement 93
Electoral College, Abolition of 94
Environmentally Linked Aid 95
Ethical Foreign Policy 97
Factory Farming, Banning of 98
Failed States, US Intervention to Prevent Collapse of 99
Foreign-Born Presidents 102
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Free Speech, Restrictions on 103
Free Trade and Development 105
Gay Adoption 106
Gay Clergy 107
Gay Marriage 109
Gays in the Military 110
Gene Patenting 112
Genetically Modified Food 113
Genetic Screening 116
Globalization and the Poor 117
Global Warming 118
God, Existence of 121
Greenhouse Gases: Trading Quotas 122
Gun Control 124
Hate Speech on Campus 125
Health Care, Universal 126
Home Schooling 129
Human Cloning 131
Human Organs, Sale of 133
Human Rights: Existence of 134
Human Rights: Imposition by Force? 136
Immigration Reform 138
International Criminal Court 139
Internet Censorship 141
Internment Without Trial 143
Iran’s Right to Possess Nuclear Weapons 145
Iraq, Immediate Withdrawal from 147
Islam and Democracy 149
Israel and the Palestinians, US Policy Toward 151
Israel’s Security Barrier 152
Ivory Trading 155
Just War 156
Landmines, US Production and Use of 158
Mandatory Sentencing: Three Strikes 160
Marijuana, Legalization of 162
Minority Languages 163
Minority Schools 165
Monarchy, Abolition of 166
Multiculturalism vs. Integration 168
National Testing 170
Nuclear vs. Renewable Energy 172
Nuclear Weapons, Abolition of 174
Overpopulation and Contraception 175
Overseas Manufacturing 177
Pacifism 178
Parentage, Right to Know 180
Parental Responsibility 181
Politicians and Special Interests 183
Polygamy 184
Pornography, Banning of 186
Preventive War 187
Priestly Celibacy, Abolition of 189
Privacy vs. Security 190
Prostitution, Legalization of 192
|The Debatabase Book
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Rebuilding After Disasters, Government Role in 194
Religion: Source of Conflict or Peace? 195
Religious Belief: Rational or Irrational? 197
Russia: Strong Leadership vs. Democracy 198
School Uniforms 201
School Vouchers 202
Science: Threat to Society? 204
Sex Education in Schools 205
Sex Offenders: Publicly Naming 206
Single-Sex Schools 208
Smoking, Further Restrictions on 209
Space Exploration 211
Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Cloning 213
Sudan: Increased Military Presence in 215
Torture in Interrogation 217
Two-Party System 218
United Nations: A Failure? 220
Vegetarianism 222
War Crimes Tribunals 224
Warrantless Wiretapping 225
Water Privatization 226
Water Resources: A Commodity? 228
Whaling, Lifting the Ban on 229
Women in Combat 232
Zero Tolerance Policing 234
Topical Index 236
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|The Debatabase Book
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INTRODUCTION
Debatabase is a starting point on the road to participating Communication, rhetoric, argumentation, and
in debates. The volume provides a beginning for those debate
debaters who would like to learn about important topics
being argued in the public sphere. Debaters can use this Communication, rhetoric, argumentation, and debate
volume as a method of discovering the basic issues rel- are related concepts. Starting with communication and
evant to some of the more important topics being dis- proceeding to debate, the concepts become progressively
cussed in various public forums. It will provide debaters narrowed. By beginning with the broadest concept,
a brief look at some of the claims that can be used to communication, and ending at the narrowest, debate, I
support or to oppose many of the issues argued about by intend to show how all these terms are interrelated.
persons in democratic societies; it will also provide some Communication may be defned as the process
sketches of evidence that can be used to support these whereby signs are used to convey information. Fol-
claims. This volume is, however, only a starting point. lowing this defnition, communication is a very broad
Debaters interested in becoming very good debaters or concept ranging from human, symbolic processes to
excellent debaters will need to go beyond this volume if the means that animals use to relate to one another.
they intend to be able to intelligently discuss these issues Some of these means are a part of the complex biology
in depth. of both human and nonhuman animals. For instance,
This introduction is intended to provide a theoretical the behaviors of certain species of birds when strang-
framework within which information about argumen- ers approach a nest of their young are a part of the
tation and debate can be viewed; no attempt has been biology of those species. The reason we know these
made to provide a general theory of argumentation. I are biological traits is that all members of the species
begin with some basic distinctions among the terms use the same signs to indicate intrusion. Although all
communication, rhetoric, argumentation, and debate, of our communication abilities—including rhetorical
progress to a description of the elements of argument communication—are somehow built into our species
that are most central to debate, and then to a discussion biologically, all communication is not rhetorical.
of how these elements can be structured into claims to The feature that most clearly distinguishes rheto-
support debate propositions. Following the discussion ric from other forms of communication is the symbol.
of argument structures, I move to a more detailed dis- Although the ability to use symbolic forms of commu-
cussion of claims and propositions and fnally discuss nication is certainly a biological trait of human beings,
the kinds of evidence needed to support claims and our ability to use symbols also allows us to use culturally
propositions. and individually specifc types of symbols. The clear-
A caveat is needed before proceeding to the theoreti- est evidence that different cultures developed different
cal portion of this introduction. This introduction does symbols is the presence of different languages among
not intend to be a practical, how-to guide to the creation human beings separated geographically. Even though all
of arguments. It does intend to provide the conceptual humans are born with the ability to use language, some
groundwork needed for debaters to learn how to create of us learn Russian, others French, and others English.
arguments according to a variety of methods. The clearest example of symbolic communication is lan-
Introduction |
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