Glossary of Debate Terms

   Ad hominem argument. Argumentative fallacy that seeks to discredit an argument by attacking someone who made it.

Affirmative. The side that argues in support of the resolution.

Anthropomorphism. An argumentative fallacy that attributes human characteristics to an inanimate object. For example, “guns are responsible for murders.”

Argument by residue. Also known as a process-of-elimination argument, it contains the major premise that the conclusion must be a member of a limited set, and each minor premise excludes one member of that set until only one member remains in the set of possible conclusions.

Begging the question. An argumentative fallacy that assumes the truth of the conclusion that is at issue. Also known as a circular argument.

Burden of proof. The duty to persuade the judge that there are stronger reasons to support your side in a debate. This belongs to the affirmative, meaning that if the arguments are equal, the negative wins. If the negative contests the affirmative’s value in a debate, the negative has the burden of proof on the value only; it does not relieve the affirmative of the duty of proving the resolution.

Case. The contentions presented in the first speech by each side in the debate.

Causality. The relationship that one event or thing causes another to occur. To be distinguished from correlation.

Consequentialism. The belief that actions are evaluated by the value of their consequences.

Contention. An argument made in the first speech by each debater.

Correlation. Two or more things that occur in sequence, but the first may or may not cause the second.

Counterargument. A direct response to an opponent’s  contention. Also known as a response.

Counterplan. A debate strategy by the negative that concedes flaws in the status quo but contends that there is a better way to correct them than by adopting the resolution.

Cross-examination. The period after each debater’s first speech during which the opposition can ask questions.

Deontology. Ethical theory that evaluates actions based on whether the actor complies with a preexisting duty, regardless of the consequences of that action.

Deductive argument. An argument that a specific conclusion follows logically from a major and minor premise. For example, if a two-person competitive game does not result in a tie there must be a winner and a loser.

Distribution requirement. For a deductive argument to be valid the major premise must establish a relationship that applies to all members of the class. For example, a major premise that defines a term must completely describe the requirements of that term in order for the argument to be valid.

Dropping an argument. This occurs when an argument made in one debate speech is not responded to by the opposing debater in the next speech. This means that the debater who made the dropped argument wins it if this is pointed out in the next speech.

Enthymeme. An argument in which one or both of the premises are not stated.

False dichotomy. An argumentative fallacy that assumes there are only two possible answers so if one can be excluded it must be the other. This is a problem with arguments by residue.

Flowing a debate. Taking notes of arguments made by each side in a debate in a way that matches contentions with responses and rebuttals. The paper on which these arguments are recorded is known as the flow.

Inductive argument. An argument that a characterization of reality is likely to be accurate based upon a specific set of data. For example, if everyone I know raves about the food at a particular restaurant it is likely to be good.

Interim. The second section of the affirmative constructive speech that sets forth the affirmative’s position on the resolution, defines terms (if necessary) and explains the value that the affirmative has chosen for the debate.

Major Premise. The general principle upon which a syllogism is based.

Minor Premise. The specific statement in a syllogism to which the major premise is applied.

Negative. The side that argues in opposition to the resolution.

Negative rights. Individual freedoms from government interference, such as freedom of speech, religion, and search without warrant or probable cause.

Normal distribution. A bell-shaped curve that peaks in the middle. This is used to estimate probability.

Positive rights. Individual entitlements to government action, such as the right to vote, the right to emergency health care, and the right to habeas corpus.

Preemptive argument. Anticipating an argument that the other side may make by raising it in order to show why it is wrong.

Rebuttal. The argument against an opponent’s response by the side that initiated the argument. This is often used to refer to any responsive argument.

Resolution. The topic for the debate. Also known as a proposition.

Response. The initial argument made in response to an opponent’s contention. Also known as a counterargument.

Skewed distribution. A probability distribution that is not normal.

Slippery slope argument. An argumentative fallacy that claims there is no logical place to separate two extremes. This often results from a sorites.

Sorities. The Greek word for heap, it refers to the argumentative fallacy that incremental additions to a quantity will never change the characteristics of that quantity. For example, “another drink won’t make me drunk.”

Sound argument. A valid argument that contains truthful premises.

Straw man argument. An argumentative fallacy that arises when one debater incorrectly characterizes the opponent’s argument and responds to the (presumably weaker) characterization.

Subjectivism. An argumentative fallacy that assumes everyone understands the world in the same way as the speaker.

Syllogism. A deductive argument that applies a major premise to a minor premise to generate a conclusion.

Turnaround argument. Taking the evidence presented by the opponent and showing that it proves the opposite of what the opponent claimed.

Valid argument. An argument in a form that the truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion.

Voting Issues. Issues identified in the last two speeches in a debate as important reasons to vote for the debater’s side.