Introduction to LincolnDouglas Debate
The topics we use for LD debate
are value judgments. Value
judgments can be expressed as:

X is better than Y.

X is good (or bad).

X ought (or ought not) happen.
Value judgments are made using
deeply-held beliefs about the world,
people, and the way that things
should be. Sometimes we are
aware of those beliefs, and other
times, they require reflection and
self-analysis.
Another term for those beliefs or
systems of beliefs is values.
In the real world, the things that people
value can have positive and negative
consequences. Examples:

A company may value profit above its
employees’ well-being.

People may value others’ physical appearance
more than their intelligence or kindness.

A society may hold the types of labor
associated with men above the types of labor
it associates with women.
But, in Lincoln-Douglas Debate,
we argue for what ought to be
valued…for what is ideal.
Examples of value judgments and
the values that inform them:
 Drinking
water is better than
drinking pop.
(Value: Health, Frugality, Taste)
Examples (cont.)
The United States has a good political
system.
(Value: Democracy, Freedom, Prosperity)

You ought not cheat on your schoolwork.
(Value: Justice, Knowledge, Morality)

Value judgments can either be
affirmed (you argue that it is
valid) or negated (you argue
that the opposite is valid). The
value judgments the NFL picks
for debate resolutions are
designed to create a clash
between values.
Take the first value judgment as an
example: Drinking water is better
than drinking pop.
Affirmative
Values:
 Health
 Frugality
 Taste
Negative (supports
the inverse: Drinking
pop is better than
drinking water)
Values:
 Taste
 Satisfaction
It is the presence of conflicting
values that makes debate possible:
 Health
versus Satisfaction
 Frugality
versus Taste
The most common values in LD debate are:

Morality: the idea that there are right and
wrong actions

Justice: the idea that everyone is entitled
to basic rights

Societal Welfare: well-being, good health,
wealth, and safety
The Value Criterion
Since values are abstract and vague, LD debaters
use the value criterion. The criterion
determines whether the debater’s arguments
actually uphold the value. They serve as a
standard.
This example demonstrates the principle,
although you wouldn’t see it in a real LD case:
Value = Acing a test
Value criterion = Scoring 95% or higher
The Value Criterion
Returning to our hypothetical resolution: Drinking
water is better than drinking pop.
We determined that frugality could be an
affirmative value for this topic. The next step is
to determine a criterion for frugality. In this
context, spending less on beverages functions
well as a criterion. It sets an achievable standard
for the value of frugality.
The Value Criterion
On the negative side of the resolution Drinking
water is better than drinking pop, we determined
that taste is a potential value.
To create a criterion or standard for taste, we
could use the presence of sugar. This gives us a
way to determine whether something tastes
good.
The Value Criterion
The following are common LD debate values and
criteria pairings:
Value: Morality
Criteria: minimizing suffering, protecting innocent
people, the golden rule (or the categorical
imperative)
The Value Criterion
The following are common LD debate values and
criteria pairings:
Value: Justice
Criteria: fair trials, due process, equality under
the law, proportionate punishment
Value: Societal Welfare
Criteria: ensuring safety, promoting good health,
maximizing economic opportunity
Contentions
In LD debate, the contentions must connection to
the value criterion.
In our hypothetical resolution Drinking water is
better than drinking pop, our affirmative value
was frugality and the value criterion was
spending less on beverages. Therefore, each
contention must support the argument that it
costs less to drink water than to drink pop.
Contentions
Our negative value for the resolution Drinking
water is better than drinking pop was taste, and
the criterion was the presence of sugar.
Therefore, each contention must argue that pop
contains sugar while water does not.
There may be additional reasons to contend that
drinking pop is better than drinking water, but
they do not have any impact in this particular
case.