China Debate Education Network Debate as a Social and Educational Process

1. China Debate Education Network Debate as a Social and Educational Process

2. Making Decisions Critically: Two senses of the word “critically.” • In the negative sense: “My professor is critical of everything I say.” “My parents treat me very critically.” • In the positive sense: “A critical decision is better than an uncritical one.” Critical decision-makers examine argument for and against the potential alternatives.”

3. Making Decisions Critically: Critical Decisions are Better than Uncritical Ones • When subjected to critical argument, weaker ideas are less likely to survive than stronger ideas • When subjected to critical argument, even better ideas have the potential to emerge

4. Internal and External Decision-Making: Two Methods • Internal: Members of the group argue about an issue and make the decision themselves. • Capitulation • Compromise • Majority vote • Consensus • External: Situations that require an outside adjudicator. • “Debate” applies most unambiguously to external decision making. • Skills of debating before an adjudicator (external decision making) do not automatically transfer to internal decision-making situations.

5. Debate and CriticalDecision Making: • “Debate” applies most unambiguously to external decision making. • Skills of debating before an adjudicator (external decision making) do not automatically transfer to internal decision-making situations. • The closest example of debate in an internal situation is legislative debate. • Even legislative debate is different from other external debates which use an adjudicator.

6. Importance of Debate in Society • Debate is useful when people are unable to work out their differences and must find an outside adjudicator. • Debate helps create good citizens.

7. Debate in Educational Systems • Debate contributes to the development of communication skills, especially public communication. • Debate helps create well-informed citizens

8. Educational Debate as a Laboratory • Competitive, educational debate is not an end in itself. • The skills learned in competitive, educational debate can be transferred to situations which include an adjudicator • Competitive, educational debate does not produce “generative debate.” • The most thoughtful and reflective debaters can learn to enact “generative debate.” • Debaters need to be very careful not to apply what they learn in competitive, educational debate to interpersonal argument situations.

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