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Re: Standard of Arguement

I very much like what I think you are saying that an argument has to have 
a threshold of warrant and plausibility to even be an argument and that 
some evidence is much better than other evidence (because it has reasons 
within it and/or is from a better more qualified source etc. etc.) A mere 
assertion or a really bad argument should not count in substantive debate.
However, does this not contradict tabula rasa least intervention judges 
at least the extreme ones???? Also isn't this a gray area since how much 
warrant does an argument need to be an argument and how good does 
evidence have to be to be good evidence and if the opponents don't say it 
makes no sense it is stupid it isn't even an argument or it is very poor 
evidence or not even evidence because____should the judge say so on his 
or her own?  I say yes, which I think you are saying too.
What do others think?
Steve Hunt 

On Wed, 28 Sep 1994 KRINGGENBERG@vax1.umkc.edu wrote:

> I propose that the quality of debate in CEDA is improving.  I am glad, as
> a debater and probably a future judge.  I think a trend is emerging among
> some of the newer judges, NDT cross-over judges, and even among some of
> the "old-heads" (non-perjorative, since it would include my coaches whom I
> adore).  A frequent problem identified by fast, evidence oriented rounds is
> that the quality of arguement and evidence suffers.  I suggest that some of the 
> new ideas circulating amond judges is a higher standard for what constitutes
> an argument.  Often in debate rounds, even more often in bad debate rounds,  there
> are many claims with little warrant, and bad evidence without any reasoning.
> I suggest that the quality of deabte would improve if judges kept a higher
> threshold for what an argument is.  An assertion without basis should not
> win a debate round, neither should evidence without ANY reasoning, especially
> from an unqualifed author (eg, a staff writer saying "a war between russia
> and ukraine would be impossible" period - end of card).  I think this 
> standard is emerging, and is improving debates already.  What do other
> people think?
> 
>
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