The best check on the preposterous claims of crisis rhetoric is an appreciation of the nature of risk analysis and how it functions in argumentation. The use of risk analysis is common in policy debate. While the stock issues paradigm focused the debate exclusively on the affirmative case, the advent of policy systems analysis has transformed…

Argues that "substantive" rules instituted by the National Debate Tournament (NDT) Committee are ineffective and counterproductive. Critiques the rule restricting evidence reading at the end of a debate and the rule requiring judges to compare definitions when evaluating topicality arguments. Concludes that the NDT Committee should…

Responds to Alfred Snider's and Richard Edwards' criticisms (same issue) of the authors' article on utopian advocacy and policy debate (same issue). Assesses flaws in the responses, and notes that neither Snider nor Edwards refutes the central theses as outlined in the authors' original article. (MM)

Critiques the views of Alfred Snider and Richard Edwards, who defend simultaneous advocacy of utopian and policy claims and promote utopian gaming. Argues that conceptions of debate theory promoting utopian advocacy are uneducational. Claims that fiat theory should be restricted to assumptions grounded in real world policy making processes. (MM)

Argues that substantive rules of debate, instituted by the National Debate Tournament Committee, are both ineffective and counterproductive. Critiques the rule restricting evidence reading after a debate and the rule requiring judges to compare definitions when evaluating topicality arguments. Concludes that substantive rules should be rescinded…

Notes that the traditional conception of the debate resolution is held responsible for decreasing participation in academic debate, declining quality of argumentation, and the frustrating proliferation of "squirrel" cases. Discusses alternatives. Contends that reasonability continues to be the best standard for evaluating topicality…