Debate
Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for common opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, academic institutions, debate halls, coffeehouses, competitions, and legislative assemblies.[1] Debates have also been conducted for educational and recreational purposes,[2] usually associated with educational establishments and debating societies.[3] These debates emphasized logical consistency, factual accuracy, and emotional appeal to an audience.[4][5] Modern forms of competitive debate also include rules for participants to discuss and decide upon the framework of the debates (how the debate will be judged).[5]
For other uses, see Debate (disambiguation).The term "debate" may also be applied to a more continuous, inclusive and less formalised process through which issues are explored and resolved across a range of agencies and among the general public: for example the European Commission in 2021 published a Green Paper on Ageing intended to generate such a debate on "policies to address the challenges and opportunities of ageing" in forthcoming years,[6] and Pope Francis refers to "the need for forthright and honest debate" on society and the environment in his 2015 encyclical letter Laudato si'.[7]
International groups and events[edit]
Asian Universities Debating Championship[edit]
United Asian Debating Championship is the biggest university debating tournament in Asia, where teams from the Middle East to Japan [58][59] come to debate. It is traditionally hosted in Southeast Asia, where participation is usually highest compared to other parts of Asia.[60]
Asian debates are largely an adaptation of the Australasian format. The only difference is that each speaker is given 7 minutes of speech time, and there will be points of information (POI) offered by the opposing team between the 2nd to 6th minutes of the speech. This means that the 1st and 7th minute is considered the 'protected' period where no POIs can be offered to the speaker.[59]
The debate will commence with the Prime Minister's speech (first proposition) and will be continued by the first opposition. This alternating speech will go on until the third opposition. Following this, the opposition bench will give the reply speech. In the reply speech, the opposition goes first and then the proposition. The debate ends when the proposition ends the reply speech. 4 minutes are allocated for the reply speech, and no POIs can be offered during this time.
Other forms of debate[edit]
Online debating[edit]
With the increasing popularity and availability of the Internet, differing opinions arise frequently. Though they are often expressed via flaming and other forms of argumentation, which consist primarily of assertions, formalized debating websites do exist. The debate style varies from site to site, with local communities and cultures developing. Some sites promote a contentious atmosphere that can border on "flaming" (the personal insult of your opponent, also known as a type of ad hominem fallacy), while others strictly admonish such activities and strongly promote independent research and better arguments.
debatewise.org, debateart.com and debate.club are known as debate portals.[63] Rulesets on various sites usually serve to enforce or create a good culture with the site's owner, or in some more open communities, the community itself. Managing post content, style, and access combined with frequent use of "reward" systems (such as reputation, titles, and forum permissions) to promote activities seen as productive while discouraging unwelcome actions. Those cultures vary sufficiently that most styles can find a forum. Some online debate communities and forums practice Policy Debate through uploaded speeches and preset word counts to represent time limits present in the offline debate.[64] Those online debates typically feature long periods of theoretical prep time, as well as the ability to research during a round or to step away from attending online.