Breaking Down Barriers: Ask Jim about Debate Return to the BDB List of Questions

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Critiques-Can an advantage or disadvantage outweigh a critique?

Yes. It depends on the arguments you advance, your critic, and, especially, the framework in which you place the debate. You can argue that critiques are not voting issues because:

1. debate should be about pragmatic consequences
2. the consequences are so great that "principles" must take a second priority

You can argue that critiques are voting issues because:

1. just focusing on consequences ignores important values people hold
2. the consequences of ignoring the critique would be greater than the pragmatic consequences of the affirmative advocacy.

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Thanks to Jason Regnier and Matthew Ho Puck for this question.

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