By Nora-Kathleen Berryhill
Sept. 30, 2020
It’s easy to associate the word debate with the imagery of a specific brand of hyper-partisan, petty bickering: the kind where no one really seeks to reach consensus at the end, and where neither hands are shaken nor post-debate pleasantries exchanged. This characterization of debate is both overly broad and constraining at the same time. It ignores that debate is a practice, and that principles, not the mere act of disagreement, are what truly define debate.
When I transferred to Edgewood this fall from Madison College, I was disappointed to discover that our debate team had been inactive for a year, but not surprised. The truth is that many college debate teams are only as strong as students’ enthusiasm for them to exist. Especially at smaller liberal arts schools like Edgewood College, where students aren’t generally given full-ride scholarships to join debate, maintaining a team takes dedication and continued support from the greater community. The Eagles Debate Team, which I helped reestablish over the summer, will need this support to thrive.
Debate is essential: to Edgewood College, to the Madison community, to America, to the world, and to the very notion of democracy itself. That’s the case I’m making here, or as we call it in British parliamentary style debate, the “motion” I’m putting forward. Whether you accept this motion is ultimately your choice, but I hope nevertheless that I can provide a convincing argument in its favor. I understand why, especially in today’s polarizing political climate, many might see debate as exhaustive, pointless, or overly divisive. Much of what falls under the ever-widening umbrella of “debate,” however, is so far removed from its defining principles that the word has lost its precision.
To be honest, my distaste for the lack of evidence-based reasoning behind some of our present political discourse further motivates me to debate, and in turn develop skills which help me to succeed not only as an academic, but also as an ethically-minded person in society. Learning the art of debate, and with it, the art of civil engagement, is something universally beneficial to everyone, no matter what career or life goals you may have. I debate because I seek to widen my perspective, not narrow it. I debate because I want to better understand those who disagree with me, rather than surround myself with only likeminded friends and family. I debate because the principles of debate, especially right now, are worth defending.
So what do I mean by principles of debate? Well, anyone who has taken a world history or ethics class in high school is probably familiar with the Socratic method, a framework for argumentative dialogue which uses rhetorical questioning to separate beliefs and personal opinions from truth. As Socrates famously said, “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.” Socrates established objectivity as a the most important principle of a debate, while also understanding that humans are inherently subjective. This is the fundamental challenge of debate: how to prove that one position is more objectively truthful than another when everyone is to some degree biased.
We respond to this challenge by asking debaters to take on a “burden of proof.” Blind confidence can never win an argument—or at least it shouldn’t. Logical, principled, and well-reasoned confidence can win though, and win decisively. The best debaters are humble enough to recognize the flaws in their own reasoning, and either acknowledge these flaws or rework their arguments to avoid them. Good debaters seek to discover truth out of disagreement, and to indiscriminately find the flaws of one position and weigh them against the flaws of its alternatives. They emphasize complexity, weeding out arguments which rely on overly simplistic claims.
When debates are viewed as fair, they can add legitimacy to the decisions that result from them. This is why legislative bodies like the U.S. Congress and British Parliament rely so heavily on debate. Fair debates in this context will allow the opposition to propose amendments to a bill, which facilitates compromise and can promote higher public acceptance of a bill if it becomes law. This is, of course, the ideal version of how a legislative debate would proceed. In many ways, the American political system relies on the premise that both sides are willing to find some sort of common ground they can agree upon. If party bases shift further from the center, this model becomes increasingly difficult to achieve.
Debate is also a crucial aspect of civil society. This includes a wide variety of non-governmental institutions such as professional associations, advocacy groups, independent journalism, religious organizations, and yes, schools and universities. We often don’t think of debate as important outside of the sphere of government and politics, but we really should: public discourse is very important in these spaces. People need to have avenues to express themselves and connect with each other in meaningful ways. When people feel like they don’t have much influence in the world around them, civil society makes them feel valued, part of a larger community where they have agency and their voices matter.
We must continue to foster spaces on the Edgewood campus where students can speak about important issues and get to know each other beyond the superficial. This is why I reestablished the debate team, why I chose to be assistant editor of this paper, and even why I decided to become a writing tutor: because I know that students need to feel a sense of community and belonging, and that social media or other more distanced forms of connection are simply not adequate substitutions for this.
As a new transfer student here, I understand the strangeness of starting at a new college during the pandemic. College can sometimes be isolating for new students, especially now, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Personally, I was a little concerned about whether I would feel like an active participant in my classes and extracurriculars as a student staying remote this semester. Even though meeting so many new people via Webex was a little surreal at first, I’m extremely grateful for how many connections I’ve been able to make. Physical distancing doesn’t actually have to mean social distancing, and these past six months have taught me to value the social connections in my life even more.
As president of Eagles Debate Team, my hope is to emphasize an intersectional approach by engaging with different departments on campus, with different colleges in Madison, and with different groups and organizations in the Madison community. I strongly encourage anyone to consider joining; no prior debate experience is required. As team advisor Dan Mortensen will almost certainly tell you before your first debate with us, we all have a built-in reservoir of knowledge and experience. The art of debate is simply figuring out how to tap into that reservoir. I’m confident that the more voices we can bring together, the stronger will become as a team, and most importantly, as a community.
Students interested are more than welcome to join the Eagles Debate Team at meetings via Webex every Friday from 2-4pm. Contact team president Nora-Kathleen Berryhill at nberryhill@edgewood.edu or advisor Dan Mortensen at dmortensen@edgewood.edu for more information.
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