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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132332]
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 Chapter 4Analyzing a Debate Topic
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Robert Trapp
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Chapter Outline
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4.1 Analyzing Topic Background
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4.2 Analyzing Topic Type
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4.3 Analyzing the Definition and Interpretation of the Topic
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4.4 Analyzing Potential Issues
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4.5 Summary
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4.6 Terms and Concepts from Chapter 4
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4.7 Discussion Questions for Chapter 4
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4.8 Exercises for Chapter 4
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When a particular debate topic, usually called a “motion”, is announced, debaters need to consider several questions in preparation for debating the topic. Debaters are given a certain amount of time, usually between 15 and 30 minutes, to prepare to debate. During this time, debaters engage in a process called “analyzing” the topic.
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Although analysis of a motion is something that all debaters, regardless of the side they are supporting, need to think about, it is most important for the team assigned to support the motion. That team is called the “First Government Team.” The name of the team assigned to support the motion varies depending on the format of educational debate in which the debaters are preparing to participate. Although some formats use the name “affirmative” to designate the team supporting the motion, the format on which this text will focus, Worlds-Style debate, uses the name “government.” In Worlds-Style debate, two teams support the motion and two oppose it. The teams supporting the motion are called “First Government” and “Second Government.” The teams opposing the motion are called “First Opposition” and “Second Opposition.” The First Government Team speaks first and establishes the direction for the debate. Thus, analysis of the motion is most important for the First Government. However, all teams need to analyze the topic with the aim of determining which arguments they and their opponents might introduce into the debate.
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The next sections describe a few ways in which debaters, especially the team initially supporting the motion, should begin their analysis. Analysis of a motion includes considerations of the topic background, type of motion being debated, possible ways that the motion might be defined and interpreted, and potential issues that might arise during the course of the debate.
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132333]
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4.1 Analyzing Topic Background
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Debate topics do not exist in a vacuum. They arise out of social or historical contexts. Debaters who understand the background of the topic are better able to focus on the issues that are most likely to arise during the debate. For instance, debaters are better able to debate a topic about population control if they understand the historical and social background of that topic. How has population growth affected other social concerns such as food, water, conflict, economics, environment, etc.? What methods of population growth do individuals use now and in the past? What methods of population control have governments enforced on their citizens? Considering those and other questions about the general topic of population control will assist debaters in other important areas of their analysis of this topic.
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132334]
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4.2 Analyzing Topic Type
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After analyzing the background of the topic, debaters then need to consider the specific motion in order to determine what type of motion they are dealing with and how the topic influences the kinds of arguments that will be debated. The last chapter introduced four kinds of claims: descriptive, definitional, associational, and evaluative. Motions are usually stated as a claim—usually an evaluative claim. For instance, a motion might be that “Population control is a violation of human freedom.” Another might be that “The nations of the world should institute stricter policies on control of population.” These two examples represent common kinds of motions that might be debated. Although both are evaluative motions, they are subtly different from one another. The first motion attributes some value to an object. In this case, the value is “human freedom” and the object is “population control.” That is what is called a “value motion.” The second motion advocates some action or policy. That kind of motion is called a “policy motion.” Policy motions usually advocate that some actor perform some action. In this second case, the actor is “the nations of the world” and the action is “institute stricter policies on control of population.”
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The table below gives some examples of different value and policy motions:
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In the examples listed above, the topics are similar, yet the wording of the motions makes them different. The value motions all attach some value (immoral, restrictive, excessive, or Westernized) to some object (smoking, hukou policy, rich-poor gap, current generation). If a person believed that those values are appropriately attached to the objects, that person might begin to think about what actions ought to be taken. But, the motion is about the relationship between the value and the object, not about any action that should or should not be taken. The next set of motions, policy motions, makes the contemplated actions specific.