1705133110
2.3.4 Interact Respectfully with Others Prior to, During, and After Debates
1705133111
1705133112
An ethical debater understands the value of each debate participant and demonstrates respect for them in word, manner, and action. Participants in debates include debate partners, other school team members, members of teams from other schools, adjudicators, audience members, observers, coaches, and tournament officials.
1705133113
1705133114
During the debate itself debaters also can show respect for the form, the intent, and the function of debate in a society. Speaking tactfully and with high regard to partners, other debaters, the adjudicator, and audience members demonstrates a debater’s understanding of their important role in dealing with society’s pressing problems. Laughing inappropriately during another’s speech or dramatically raising eyebrows with a partner as the other team makes their presentations indicate debaters have more work to do to develop respect for their craft.
1705133115
1705133116
Debaters may display respect during the debate and then change their actions as they leave the debate. As they talk with others about opponents or adjudicators, they may make derogatory remarks freely. They may even make derogatory remarks to the adjudicators. Debaters can remember that respecting the outcome of the debate is different from agreeing the outcome was the best one. Also, debaters can reframe their thinking to recognize the nature of debate and the need for an adjudicator.
1705133117
1705133118
Debaters need to prepare for a wide variety of adjudicators, all of whom have been engaged to listen to arguments and determine a decision. Although the role of adjudicator is critical to debate situations in need of outside assistance, each adjudicator brings different perspectives and skills to the role, just as each debater brings different perspectives and skills. Human beings differ, so adjudicators also will differ. An excellent debater may spend years learning nuances and complexities of fitting an argument to an audience or adjudicator. If the adjudicator decides against the debater, the debater can learn a great deal by discussing that decision with the adjudicator.
1705133119
1705133120
If the debater is arguing to the adjudicator that he or she should have made a different decision, the debater may benefit from reviewing the debate process. The debater holds the responsibility to make arguments that persuade the audience or adjudicator to their point of view. If the adjudicator does not come to the same conclusion as the debater, the debater has not succeeded in his or her efforts. At that point, the debater can interview the adjudicator to listen to their reasons for their decision; from that conversation the debater can learn more about the art of persuasion.
1705133121
1705133123
2.3.5 Champion Clashes of Ideas and Eschew Personal Attacks
1705133124
1705133125
Partnered with the attitude of respect is the intent to engage the debate by confronting opposing ideas rather than confronting other speakers as opponents. Debaters can strive to determine the most critical ideas that emerge as the debate proceeds and then clarify the points where opposing ideas clash. Having identified the clash, debaters can expand the conversation by presenting reasoning and arguments that privilege one position over the other.
1705133126
1705133127
Problems caused by lack of respect arise when the debater turns away from the clash of ideas and attacks the speaker instead. Name calling is one form of disrespect: “Only a complete radical could make such an argument.” Another form of personal attack derides a person’s credibility
:“Your argument demonstrates your complete ignorance about this subject.”
1705133128
1705133129
In advertising, political arenas, and personal situations and sometimes in formal debates, the conflict of ideas can deteriorate into personal attacks and character assaults of these kinds. A common response to a personal attack is to react with another personal attack. Ethical debaters learn to deflect such attacks, ignore them, or use their time to more fully develop their discussions regarding the clash of ideas, emphasizing, of course, their own reasons for preferring their positions rather than other positions.
1705133130
1705133131
Students who encounter personal attacks during debates during intercollegiate debate tournaments can use those opportunities to improve their skills at derailing personal assaults and returning the debate to the critical issues. Since the higher purpose of debate involves nonviolently finding reasoned ways to ameliorate contentious social problems, ethical debaters need to develop a repertoire of skills for disconnecting the lure of devolving into personal grievances toward refocusing on the social need being addressed by the debate.
1705133132
1705133134
2.3.6 Engage the Clash of Ideas Toward Creating the Most Elevated, Comprehensive, and Well Reasoned Arguments
1705133135
1705133136
Simply engaging a clash of ideas does not fulfill the best qualities of debate; engaging a clash that engages the most critical, most meaningful, and most difficult points of clash marks an excellent debate. After such a debate, audiences and adjudicators—as well as debaters themselves—can walk away with better understandings of the issues, of the various positions regarding the issues, of possible responses to or policy changes regarding those issues, and perhaps even new ideas about how to engage this social need.
1705133137
1705133138
An ethical debater strives to use debate to achieve these ends. Achieving skills to accomplish an excellent debate takes years of practice, dedication to excellence, a strong ethical code to guide the art of debate, and a deep understanding of what such achievement can mean for a world struggling with cultural differences, political powers, religious diversity, and economic disparity.
1705133139
1705133141
2.3.7 Debate as a Global Citizen, Active and Participatory, Toward Generatively Embracing Vital Issues
1705133142
1705133143
Global citizens work alongside other citizens with the intent to live a good life and provide a good life for others. Debate provides one of very few avenues for healthy, productive, and generative reactions to the myriad conflicts that must arise in the burgeoning mass of humans living together on the earth. Excellent debate, ethical debate, helps illuminate the points of conflict among such a throng of people, allows for people to voice their positions and perspectives, and also promotes a clear side-by-side picture of how different people experience and think about different problems. As a tool for human development, debate offers possibilities for people to use intellect and speech rather than violence and weapons as ways to progress through differences.
1705133144
1705133145
Ethical debaters generate growth and development, understanding themselves as citizens of the world whose actions and interactive participation with one another can proceed with reasoning and thoughtfulness. Ethical debaters grow an authentic value for reasoned debate that seeks to include multiple voices in an intelligent, spirited, and active exploration of the best human responses to contention in local and global issues. As these debaters conduct themselves within their code of ethics, they emerge as vital forces toward developing a just, responsible, and sustainable world.
1705133146
1705133148
2.4 Summary
1705133149
1705133150
To debate well means to debate ethically. Philosophers from both China and the United States write about the importance of using morality and good conduct in debate and in speaking. Debaters should choose their behaviors both at debate tournaments and in debate activities and develop a code of ethics to improve their debate demeanor.
1705133151
1705133152
Ethics in debate involve issues of use of evidence, reasoning, and arguments. However, the more complicated issues arise from conflict between the goal of winning a debate (sometimes at any cost) and the goal of authentically addressing a social need through reasoned interaction. Students can strengthen their ethical themes through thoughtful discussion and individual case contemplation. Debaters can expect to improve their ethical positions through experience and mastery of skill.
1705133153
1705133154
Choices about arguments and reasoning patterns also confront choices between winning at all costs or accomplishing a thoughtful and useful debate. “True” statements do not necessarily constitute ethical statements because speakers can selectively sort through evidence to persuade an audience through implication. Ethical debaters use a high standard of an elevated, straightforward clash of ideas as the guide to ethical use of argument and reasoning.
1705133155
1705133156
Establishing mutual equality entails working with a variety of team members, listening to speakers who present opposing ideas, and taking notes efficiently. Ethical debaters also will strive to demonstrate respect in word, manner, and action. Respect accorded to adjudicators does not preclude debaters from conversing closely with them about decisions. Results of these conversations can provide debaters with new and useful information about argument and reasoning choices in like situations.
1705133157
1705133158
Ethical debaters seek a clash of ideas in the debate, not a clash of personalities. Working to investigate those clashes at the most critical points of the conflict generates useful and provocative debates. Students can use periodic debate tournaments to grow, hone, and practice their ethical skills. As a global citizen faced with the predictable conflicts that will arise from the diversity of people inhabiting the earth, an ethical debater will operate as vital force toward finding means to avoid violence as a solution to those conflicts, working toward dealing with contradictions through thoughtful means.
[
上一页 ]
[ :1.705133109e+09 ]
[
下一页 ]