Tournament: All | Round: Finals | Opponent: Anyone | Judge: Anyone
If you need anything, email me at michael.david.gao@gmail.com or text me at 469-656-4160.

Tournament: Isidore Newman | Round: 2 | Opponent: Carrollton AJ | Judge: Claire Kueffner
Interpretation: Debaters may not read counterplans that include part of the AFF action.

1. Time skew
   2. Strat Skew
   3. Substantive education

Tournament: Strake Jesuit | Round: 2 | Opponent: Montgomery AW | Judge: Martin Sigalow

Resolved: Public colleges and universities in the United States ought not restrict any constitutionally protected speech

1AC

Framework

The starting point for ethical discussion must be grounded in the material world and non-ideal theory. Ideal theory ignores social realities, which influence what we can count as an ideal in the first place, which means that they can never be applied in the real world.

In the non-ideal reality of the heterogeneous United States, difference is inevitable. Three warrants:

All forms of politics rely on linguistic norms that have no fundamental source of authority. Language is constructed through use, which is social in nature.

Mouffe, Universities of Louvain, Paris and Essex and professorship at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Westminster in the United Kingdom, 1999
Chantal, "Deliberative Democracy or Agonistic Pluralism?", The New School, Social Research
AND
always abridgments of practices, they are inseparable of specific forms of life.

Analytic.

Analytic.

There is no I without the other. Identity is intersubjective and constructed through social relations, which are always changing. BUTLER:

(Judith Butler. 1992. "Continent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of "Postmodernism" Feminists Theorize the Political)
"In a sense, the subject is constituted through an exclusion and differentiation,
AND
the point in which it is claimed to be prior to politics itself." 

Analytic

Given this, the mission of politics is to deal with these differences in a way that maintains the political system. Otherwise, the differences are left to fester and branch out to individual collectivities that destroy society, which is deeply antithetical to the practical goal of ethics.

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 
"A well-functioning democracy calls for a vibrant clash of democratic political positions
AND
antagonisms that can tear up the very basis of civility." (104)

An agonistic democracy where difference is respected and all viewpoints are given a chance to engage in the political discourse is key to this end.

• • "The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 DD
    "Envisaged from the point of view of 'agonistic pluralism', the aim of democratic
    AND
    should be seen as temporary respites in an ongoing confrontation." (102) 

Analytic.

Thus, the standard is cultivating agonistic democratic subjects.

Impact calculus: The best way to foster agonistic democracy is by training people through participation in democratic practices. Analytic.

Prefer additionally: Analytic:

A. Analytic.

B. Analytic.

Contention

The punishment from speech codes deter discussion, especially since they are often vague and up to the interpretation of the administration.

Powers, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Public Affairs in the Clinton administration from 1993 to 1998 and column for The American Prospect and her numerous articles have appeared in USA Today, Elle, the New York Observer, Salon, and the Wall Street Journal, 2015
Kirsten, "How Liberals Ruined College", Daily Best, June 11th, Online: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/11/how-liberals-have-ruined-college.html - MG 
On today's campuses, left-leaning administrators, professors, and students are working
AND
them "harm" by saying something that offended them, case closed.

Speech codes create a culture of suppression that deter discussion. This creates a cyclical cycle where students never learn how to engage with other positions.

Mandava, Claremont McKenna College majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, 2015
Sidd, "The 'Chilling Effect' in Action: Campus Speech Codes and Political Disengagement", The FIRE, June 19th, Online: https://www.thefire.org/the-chilling-effect-in-action-campus-speech-codes-and-political-disengagement/ - MG
Almost 95 percent of the U.S. colleges and universities evaluated by FIRE
AND
to be offended and therefore avoid situations where someone might offend them.   

Constitutionally protected speech solves.

FIRE, 1999 by University of Pennsylvania professor Alan Charles Kors and Boston civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate, no date
Foundation for Individual Rights In Education, "State of the Law: Speech Codes
AND
constitutional freedoms is nowhere more vital than in the community of American schools." 

The AFF is try or die. Millennials aren't engaged now.

Mandava, Claremont McKenna College majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, 2015
Sidd, "The 'Chilling Effect' in Action: Campus Speech Codes and Political Disengagement", The FIRE, June 19th, Online: https://www.thefire.org/the-chilling-effect-in-action-campus-speech-codes-and-political-disengagement/ - MG
By one measure, millennials are the United States' least politically engaged generation, with
AND
whether our colleges are actually guiding students towards a path of political disengagement.

Tournament: Emory | Round: 4 | Opponent: Anderson JT | Judge: Divyaansh Raj

Framework

I value morality because ought implies a moral obligation.

The ethical question is posed intersubjectively: Analytic.

Identity is the source of normativity as it gives the broad range of reasons that appeal to a person. For example, you wouldn't obligate a fire fighter to teach or a teacher to fight fire because those roles don't appeal to the agent's identity. But the identities that ground ethics are socially constructed. Butler:

(Judith Butler. 1992. "Continent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of "Postmodernism" Feminists Theorize the Political)
"In a sense, the subject is constituted through an exclusion and differentiation,
AND
the point in which it is claimed to be prior to politics itself." 

As fluid concepts, our identities can be denied by the people around us just as their identities can be denied of us. Therefore, ethics demands a recognition of the precarity of identity. Butler 2:

Judith Butler. Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? 
The precarity of life imposes an obligat~es~ion upon us. We
AND
crafting power, and which limits the finality of any of its effects. 

However, within these structures of recognition, difference is inevitable. Hagglund:

"THE NECESSITY OF DISCRIMINATION DISJOINING DERRIDA AND LEVINAS" MARTIN HÄGGLUND
"Derrida targets precisely this logic of opposition. As he argues in Of Grammatology
AND
is in the service of perpetrating the better." (46-48) 

A. Analytic.

B. Analytic.

Thus, the standard is consistency with an agonistic pluralism.

Only an agonistic democracy is grounded on the precarious structure of identity and the need to maintain openness and contestation as it embraces conflict and transforms it into something that recognizes that my identity is only constructed off of the other. Mouffe:

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 
"Envisaged from the point of view of 'agonistic pluralism', the aim of democratic
AND
should be seen as temporary respites in an ongoing confrontation." (102) 

An agonistic pluralism is key to the maintenance of a healthy political community. Mouffe 2:

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 
But this is to miss a crucial point. not only
AND
and the trivialization of the political discourse.

Prefer additionally: Double bind – To act morally one must first know what is the right thing to do, which means any moral system has to be derivative of the procedures intrinsic to agonistic conflict:

A. Analytic.

B. Analytic.

C. Analytic.

Offense

I contend constitutionally protected free speech is consistent with an agonistic pluralism.

Speech codes create a culture of suppression that deter discussion. This creates a cycle where students never learn how to engage with other positions.

Mandava, Claremont McKenna College majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, 2015
Sidd, "The 'Chilling Effect' in Action: Campus Speech Codes and Political Disengagement", The FIRE, June 19th, Online: https://www.thefire.org/the-chilling-effect-in-action-campus-speech-codes-and-political-disengagement/ - MG
Almost 95 percent of the U.S. colleges and universities evaluated by FIRE
AND
to be offended and therefore avoid situations where someone might offend them.   

Thought control prevents undermines the formation of well-constructed arguments.

Azhar Majeed, November 18, 20'09, "Defying the Constitution: The Rise, Persistence, And Prevalence Of Campus Speech Codes", Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, Fire.org, https://www.thefire.org/defying-the-constitution-the-rise-persistence-and-prevalence-of-campus-speech-codes/
Second, speech codes suppress the discussion of disfavored topics and expression of disfavored viewpoints
AND
precisely this coddling effect and therefore should be eradicated from the college environment.

Outweighs – training is key. People are not born as democratic subjects; butler indicates people are socialized into their identity. To create agonistic subjects means to socialize people into that identity. Mouffe 2:

Mouffe 2000 (Chantal Mouffe. Democratic Paradox. Verso Publishing. 2000.)
"Their concern with the current state of democratic institutions is one that I share
AND
by rationality and impartiality and where a rational universal consensus could be reached." 

Constitutionally protected speech solves.

FIRE, 1999 by University of Pennsylvania professor Alan Charles Kors and Boston civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate, no date
Foundation for Individual Rights In Education, "State of the Law: Speech Codes
AND
constitutional freedoms is nowhere more vital than in the community of American schools." 

The framework requires working within current governmental structures.

Marijanovic 2016. (Daniel Marijanovic. "WORKING WITH AND AGAINST CHANTAL MOUFFE FOR A DEFENCE OF AGONISTIC DEMOCRACY IN A POST-DEMOCRATIC AGE" McMaster University Master of Arts Thesis. 2016. — KW)
Mouffe's own affirmation of the importance of extra-institutional movements for an agonistic democracy
AND
not be very effective without access to the institutions of the social order."

This means NEG positions calling for unconstitutional actions don't turn case.
Analytic.

Tournament: Harvard | Round: 1 | Opponent: William Enloe TG | Judge: Mitali Mathur

1AC

Framework

I value morality because ought implies a moral obligation.

Identity is the source of normativity as it gives the broad range of reasons that appeal to a person. For example, you wouldn't obligate a fire fighter to teach or a teacher to fight fire because those roles don't appeal to the agent's identity. But the identities that ground ethics are socially constructed through norms created by structures of recognition. Butler:

(Judith Butler. 1992. "Continent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of "Postmodernism" Feminists Theorize the Political)
"In a sense, the subject is constituted through an exclusion and differentiation,
AND
the point in which it is claimed to be prior to politics itself." 

Analytic.

Oppression is the misdefinition of life. That means my framework comes first – it gives an account on how we are obligated to the other. Butler 2:

Judith Butler. Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? 
The precarity of life imposes an obligat~es~ion upon us. We
AND
crafting power, and which limits the finality of any of its effects. 

Analytic.

However, within these structures of recognition, pluralism is inevitable. Hagglund:

"THE NECESSITY OF DISCRIMINATION DISJOINING DERRIDA AND LEVINAS" MARTIN HÄGGLUND
"Derrida targets precisely this logic of opposition. As he argues in Of Grammatology
AND
is in the service of perpetrating the better." (46-48) 

Analytic.

Defines oppression – Not recognizing the inevitability of difference and the political, fluid nature of exclusion reinforces hegemonic power structures. Mouffe:

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 
However, if we accept Schmitt's insight about the relations of inclusion-exdusion which
AND
people by reducing it to one of its many possible forms of identification.

Analytic.

Analytic.

Therefore, the correct ethical theory must recognize difference and exclusion as a condition for its normativity in the first place.

The standard is consistency with an agonistic pluralism.

Only an agonistic democracy is grounded in a social identity and recognition of difference as it embraces conflict and transforms it into something that recognizes that my identity is constructed off the other. Mouffe 2:

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 
"Envisaged from the point of view of 'agonistic pluralism', the aim of democratic
AND
should be seen as temporary respites in an ongoing confrontation." (102) 

An agonistic pluralism is key to the maintenance of structures of identity. Mouffe 3:

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 
But this is to miss a crucial point. not only about the primary reality
AND
of the left/right divide and the trivialization of the political discourse.

Prefer additionally: 1. Double bind – To act morally one must first know what is the right thing to do, which means any moral system has to be derivative of the procedures intrinsic to agonistic conflict:

Analytic.

Analytic.

2. Self-reflection is key to create social change and fight dominant social practices. SMITH and EATON:

"Role of reflection and praxis in community-based learning and social justice work" by Toby Smith and Marie Eaton  http://cielearn.org/wp-content/themes/ciel/docs/Praxis_Social20Justice202-10.pdf
"If reflection is an interpretation of the unknown through the lens of the known
AND
we know and what we do, between text and our lives. "

Impact calc: An agonism requires a state: Analytic.

Offense

I contend constitutionally protected free speech is consistent with an agonistic pluralism.

Agonism requires an acknowledgement that opposing beliefs are structurally legitimate.

Mouffe 4 ~Chantal Mouffe, Professor at the Department of Political Science of the Institute for Advanced Studies. June 2000. "The Democratic Paradox"~
I submit that this is a crucial insight which undermines the very objective that those
AND
formulation, and this is why his contribution to democratic thinking is invaluable.

Speech codes create a culture of suppression that deter discussion. This creates a cycle where students never learn how to engage with other positions.

Mandava, Claremont McKenna College majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, 2015
Sidd, "The 'Chilling Effect' in Action: Campus Speech Codes and Political Disengagement", The FIRE, June 19th, Online: https://www.thefire.org/the-chilling-effect-in-action-campus-speech-codes-and-political-disengagement/ - MG
Almost 95 percent of the U.S. colleges and universities evaluated by FIRE
AND
to be offended and therefore avoid situations where someone might offend them.   

Outweighs – Analytic.

Controls the internal link to other frameworks – Analytic.

Constitutionally protected speech solves.

FIRE, 1999 by University of Pennsylvania professor Alan Charles Kors and Boston civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate, no date
Foundation for Individual Rights In Education, "State of the Law: Speech Codes
AND
constitutional freedoms is nowhere more vital than in the community of American schools." 

The framework requires working within current governmental structures.

Marijanovic 2016. (Daniel Marijanovic. "WORKING WITH AND AGAINST CHANTAL MOUFFE FOR A DEFENCE OF AGONISTIC DEMOCRACY IN A POST-DEMOCRATIC AGE" McMaster University Master of Arts Thesis. 2016. — KW)
Mouffe's own affirmation of the importance of extra-institutional movements for an agonistic democracy
AND
not be very effective without access to the institutions of the social order."

Analytic.

Tournament: Isidore Newman | Round: 5 | Opponent: Cypress Woods CJ | Judge: Adesuwa Omoruyi

1AC

Framework

The starting point for ethical discussion must be grounded in the material world and non-ideal theory. Ideal theory ignores social realities, which influence what we can count as an ideal in the first place.

Mills, Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy at Northwestern University, 2000
Charles W, "Ideal Theory as Ideology", Hypatia Volume 20, Number 3, Summer, pp. 165 184 - MG
I suggest that this spontaneous reaction, far from being philosophically naïve or jejune,
AND
that the ideal-as-idealized-model will never be achieved. 

Justice requires a multi-dimensional analysis. Every instance of injustice includes both an unequal distribution of resources and a misrecognition of identity. Singular theories that only focus on distribution or identity will inevitably fail.

Fraser, American critical theorist, feminist, and the Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Political and Social Science and professor of philosophy at The New School in New York City, 09
(Nancy; Social Justice in the Age of Identity Politics: Redistribution, Recognition, and Participation; THE TANNER LECTURES ON HUMAN VALUES; Stanford University April 30–May 2, 1996; http://www.intelligenceispower.com/Important20E-mails20Sent20attachments/Social20Justice20in20the20Age20of20Identity20Politics.pdf – MG)
Matters become murkier, however, once we move away from these extremes. When
AND
in sum, requires both redistribution and recognition. Neither alone will suffice. 

Thus, the standard is promoting participatory parity. This recognizes the bivalence of oppression.

Fraser 2, American critical theorist, feminist, and the Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Political and Social Science and professor of philosophy at The New School in New York City, 09
(Nancy; Social Justice in the Age of Identity Politics: Redistribution, Recognition, and Participation; THE TANNER LECTURES ON HUMAN VALUES; Stanford University April 30–May 2, 1996; http://www.intelligenceispower.com/Important20E-mails20Sent20attachments/Social20Justice20in20the20Age20of20Identity20Politics.pdf – MG)
Given the hollowness of a purely verbal reduction and the present unavailability of a substantive
AND
ascribed "difference" from others or by failing to acknowledge their distinctiveness.

Prefer additionally: Double bind:

A. Analytic.

B. Analytic.

Harms

Unarmed black and brown bodies are gunned down by police every day and the officers are getting away with it.

Kindy, National investigative reporter for The Washington Post and participant in Pulitzer Prize winning team, 15
Kimberly, "Fatal police shootings in 2015 approaching 400 nationwide", Washington Post, 
AND
and killed nearly 1,000 people by the end of the year.

Qualified immunity protects officers who have clearly broken the law because the standards for being clearly established are far too high.

Sheng, associate in Davis Polk's Litigation Department, practicing in the Menlo Park office, law clerk to the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2012
Philip, "An "Objectively Reasonable" Criticism of the Doctrine of Qualified Immunity in Excessive Force Cases Brought Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983", Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law, March 1st, Accessed November 10th, Online: http://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1459andcontext=jpl** – MG
Apart from the concerns that (I) the Court is affording law enforcement officers
AND
to whether and when cases on point arc needed to overcome qualified immunity.

Plan Text

Thus, I affirm: Resolved – The United States ought to limit qualified immunity for police officers by removing the "clearly established" standard to be whether it was clearly unconstitutional. CX check all spec, theory, and T interps to prevent needless theory. Substantive debate outweighs because its applicable in the real world.

Solvency

Civil suits in constitutional rights violations are distinctly important in recognizing the importance of individuals who have their rights violated by government officials, even when the financial liability may be addressed by the government. Armacost 89

(Barbara E. Armacost 51 Vand. L. Rev. 583 (1998) "Qualified Immunity- Ignorance Excused" J.D. University of Virginia School of Law 1989 M.T.S. Regent College of the University of British Columbia 1984 B.S. University of Virginia 1976 )
Turning to section 1983 law, I contend that individual damages liability for constitutional violations
AND
but through public reaction to re- ported allegations of clear constitutional impropriety.

Civil recourse is key to individual recognition of status and authority of the plaintiffs, empowering them. Solomon 10

Solomon '10 (Jason M. Solomon. Associate Professor, College of William and Mary Law School.  "What is Civil Justice" Loyola Of Los Angeles Law Review. Vol. 44:317. Fall 2010. http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/facpubs/1149 — KW)
"Consistent with the inescapable moral quality of the word justice in both systems,
AND
and a remedy (generally money) to the one wronged. 49"

And- Lawsuits are a redistribution method of participation-

1. The foundation of tort law is one of monetary redistribution to a victim or community. The wrongdoer is forced to pay their distributed resources to the plaintiff.

2. In the case of an unsuccessful suit, communities still eventually are repaid in the form of large scale reform. When civil suits fail, states and courts collect the data and information from those suits to determine new courses in law- meaning consistent lawsuits against police officers for wrongdoing will eventually bring about large-scale, beneficial change.

It's hard to sue municipalities. The officers are the only route for justice.

Chemerinskyaug, founding Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, and Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law, at University of California, Irvine School of Law, with a joint appointment in Political Science, 2014
Erwin, "How the Supreme Court Protects Bad Cops", August 26, New York Times, Online: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/opinion/how-the-supreme-court-protects-bad-cops.html, Accessed October 23 – MG 
A 2011 case, Connick v. Thompson, illustrates how difficult the Supreme Court
AND
in Mr. Thompson's case, also has absolute immunity to civil suits.

Tournament: Isidore Newman | Round: 2 | Opponent: Carrollton AJ | Judge: Claire Kueffner

1AC

Framework

Presume aff and err aff because: a) time skew b) adaptability. Prefer theoretical presumption.

I value morality because ought implies a moral obligation.

The inescapable starting point of morality is that individuals are rational agents by submitting to a normative principle. Two warrants.

Ferrero, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, 2009
Luca, "Constitutivism and the Inescapability of Agency", Oxford Studies in Metaethics, vol. IV, January 19th, Online: https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/ferrero/www/pubs/ferrero-constitutivism.pdf**, Accessed November 14 – MG
3.1 The initial appeal of the shmagency objection rests on the impression that
AND
it's a question of how we evaluate ethical claims in the first place.
Outweighs:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Impacts:
A.
B.

Reason is universal. A - A reason for you must also be a reason for me.

Velleman, Professor of Philosophy, Bioethics; Director of Undergraduate Studies, Ph.D., Princeton, 1983, 2006
(J. David, "A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO KANTIAN ETHICS," 2006, accessed Dec. 1, MG)
In Kant's view, being a person consists in being a rational creature, both
AND
attractive vantage point of some kind.
B. Meta-constraints.
Impacts:
A.
B.
The standard is consistency with universal reason. Independently, prefer the framework: 

Rational willing determines what is an action versus a series of fragmented events. Roedl.

Sebastian Roedl.  Prof. Of Philosophy, University of Leipzig.  "Two Forms of Practical Knowledge and Their Unity" in Ford and Hornsby, Eds. Essays on Anscombe's Intention (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2011) 239.

"We can give a more specific description of the consciousness of temporal unity that
AND
we would never be able to pursue personal projects; it's over demanding.
A.
B.

Impact calculus:

State key. The framework entails an omnilateral will or a higher authority to deal with rights conflicts.

Ripstein, Arthur. "Kant on Law and Politics." University of Toronto Law School. http://www.law.utoronto.ca/documents/Ripstein/Kant_on_law.pdf.
Kant's point about disputes is not just a reiteration of Locke's familiar claim that people
AND
does, and so does not require an explicit act of instituting it.

AFF first on risk of offense.

Contention

First, public officials like police officers must act for public ends- they are contractually bound and that is where they derive their authority. Ripstein 16.

Ripstein, Arthur. "Reclaiming Proportionality (Society for Applied Philosophy Annual Lecture 2016)." Journal of Applied Philosophy, 2016, doi:10.1111/japp.12238. professor of law and of philosophy at the University of Toronto JZ *brackets for gender*
Nonetheless, there is something troubling about vigilantes and vigilantism. There is a question
AND
of proportionality. It might be asked why this public standpoint is required. 

Immunity hinders essential tort litigation.

Sheng, associate in Davis Polk's Litigation Department, practicing in the Menlo Park office, law clerk to the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2012
Philip, "An "Objectively Reasonable" Criticism of the Doctrine of Qualified Immunity in Excessive Force Cases Brought Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983", Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law, March 1st, Accessed November 10th, Online: http://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1459andcontext=jpl** – MG
Apart from the concerns that (I) the Court is affording law enforcement officers
AND
to whether and when cases on point arc needed to overcome qualified immunity.

Second, tort law captures the unique responsibility to other persons while maintaining freedom to pursue one's own conception of the good. Ripstein 4.

Ripstein, Professor of Law at the University of Toronto, 2004
Arthur, "Tort, The Division of Responsibility and the Law of Tort", Fordham Law Review, Online: http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3975andcontext=flr**
All of these effects that one person might have on another are consistent with each
AND
to your ability to set and pursue your own conception of the good.

Tournament: Grapevine Classic | Round: 2 | Opponent: Hockaday KK | Judge: John Sims

1AC

Framework:

Attempting to understand beings, communities, and ethics as pure will inevitably fail:

1. There is no possibility of understanding people in and of themselves. All identities are understood through the differentiation of social relations, which are by necessity constantly changing. BUTLER:

(Judith Butler. 1992. "Continent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of "Postmodernism" Feminists Theorize the Political)
"In a sense, the subject is constituted through an _{exclusion and}differentiation,
AND
the point in which it is claimed to be prior to politics itself." 

A. Ethics has to start with the self – otherwise it can't guide action because its principle doesn't have a claim on what I ought to do. But, there is no single stable self. Any attempt to theorize the self would fail to understand the ontological status of the agent. MILLS:

Charles W. Mills, "Ideal Theory" as Ideology, 2005
"An idealized social ontology. Moral~ity~ theory deals with the normative
AND
superior and inferior positions in social hierarchies of various kinds." (168)

B. Analytic.

Second, discrimination is constitutive of any moral theory because it requires one to distinguish between the ethical and anti-ethical. Differentiation becomes a condition for any decision, so justice is found in violence. HÄGGLUND:

"THE NECESSITY OF DISCRIMINATION DISJOINING DERRIDA AND LEVINAS" MARTIN HÄGGLUND
"Derrida targets precisely this logic
AND
service of perpetrating the better." (46-48)
3 Impacts:

====A. Analytic. ====

====B. Precedes idealized frameworks. The belief in absolute peace is self-contradictory and justifies absolute violence. HÄGGLUND 2:====
"THE NECESSITY OF DISCRIMINATION DISJOINING DERRIDA AND LEVINAS" MARTIN HÄGGLUND
"A possible objection here is that we must striv~ing~e toward
AND
idea of absolute peace is the idea of absolute violence." (49)  

3. The only way to resolve the inevitable conflict that comes with pluralism in our agency and ethics is to embrace that it is in fact inevitable. This requires an agonistic commitment, which recognizes that conflict is inevitable, but frames the other as a legitimate opponent instead of an enemy. MOUFFE:

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 DD
"A well-functioning democracy calls for a vibrant clash of democratic political positions
AND
antagonisms that can tear up the very basis of civility." (104)

Analytic

Thus, the standard is promoting agonistic democracy. To clarify, the standard is concerned with the procedures of agonistic pluralism, not ends. MOUFFE 2:

(Chantal Mouffe, Professor at the Department of Political Science of the Institute for Advanced Studies. June 2000. "The Democratic Paradox")
"To avoid any confusion, I should specify that, contrary to some postmodern
AND
, while accepting them, fight for conflicting interpretations."
Prefer additionally: 

First, educational spaces must embrace contestation as a condition for resistance. Any attempt to exclude challenges reaffirms pedagogical imperialism. RICKERT:

(Thomas, ""Hands Up, You're Free": Composition in a Post-Oedipal World", JacOnline Journal,)
"This essay will employ Deleuze's and Zizek's theories to illustrate the limitations of writing
AND
is more aggressive than the desire to serve the other" (48)

Second, double bind analytic:

A. Analytic.

B. Analytic.

Offense

Soft Power

There are two types of energy production – soft energy and hard energy. Soft energy is localized and facilitates community involvement.

Lovins, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976
(Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
There exists today a body of energy technologies that have certain specific features in common
AND
to end-use needs: a key feature that deserves immediate explanation.

Advocacy

Thus, I affirm the prohibition of the production of nuclear power as a rejection of hard power and as a move toward soft power.

Contention 1: Nuclear Reactors are Centralized

The nuclear power lobby tries to disguise the facts but nuclear power's high costs require a centralized system. This is deeply rooted in a hard energy grid system where energy is produced by large, inflexible reactors.

UCS, nonprofit science advocacy organization based in the United States, 2011
(Union of Concerned Scientists, "Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable without Subsidies (2011)", Online: http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/cost-nuclear-power/nuclear-power-subsidies-report~~#.V9I56SgrK00, Accessed September 5 – MG)
These legacy subsidies are estimated to exceed seven cents per kilowatt-hour (¢/kWh
AND
that have declined as the aging, installed capacity base is fully written off

Nuclear reactors require centralized infrastructure from waste disposal to regulation.

====Paperiello, Regional administrator of Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2011====
(CJ, "Essential infrastructure: national nuclear regulation", Health Phys., January, Online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21399415**, Accessed September 9th – MG)
In order for nuclear power to expand to many countries that do not currently have
AND
material infrastructure can promote the safe and secure worldwide growth in nuclear power.

Centralization not democratic.

Lovins 2, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976
(Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
Such dirigiste autarchy is the first of many distortions of the political fabric. While
AND
the sector may be paramilitarized and further isolated from grass-roots politics.

Contention 2: Empowerment

The soft energy grid empowers the marginalized and gives them a voice in an agonistic democracy.

Lovins 2, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976

• • (Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
    The soft path has novel and important international implications. Just as improvements in end
    AND
    eco-development from the bottom up, particularly in the rural villages.

Contention 3: Technocracy

The risky, esoteric, and highly technical nature of nuclear power demands elitism. A ban on nuclear reactors is the first step away from hard energy.

Lovins 3, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976

• • (Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
    Any demanding high technology tends to develop~s~ influential and dedicated constituencies of
    AND
    both social and energy priorities in a lasting way that resists political remedy.

Tournament: Greenhill | Round: 2 | Opponent: West Des Moines Valley SC | Judge: Christopher Vincent

1AC

Framework:

Attempting to understand beings, communities, and ethics as universal will inevitably fail:

There is no I without the other. Identity is intersubjective and constructed through social relations, which are always changing. BUTLER:

(Judith Butler. 1992. "Continent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of "Postmodernism" Feminists Theorize the Political)
"In a sense, the subject is constituted through an _{exclusion and}differentiation,
AND
the point in which it is claimed to be prior to politics itself." 

A. Ethics has to start with the self – otherwise it can't guide action because its principle doesn't have a claim on what I ought to do. But, there is no single stable self. Any attempt to universalize the conception of the self would fail to understand the ontological status of the agent. MILLS:

Charles W. Mills, "Ideal Theory" as Ideology, 2005
"An idealized social ontology. Moral~ity~ theory deals with the normative
AND
superior and inferior positions in social hierarchies of various kinds." (168)

B. Analytic.

Second, differentiation is constitutive of any moral theory because it requires one to distinguish between the ethical and anti-ethical. Justice is found in discrimination. HÄGGLUND:

"THE NECESSITY OF DISCRIMINATION DISJOINING DERRIDA AND LEVINAS" MARTIN HÄGGLUND
"Derrida targets precisely this logic
AND
service of perpetrating the better." (46-48)
2 Impacts:

====A. Analytic. ====

====B. Precedes idealized frameworks. The belief in absolute peace is self-contradictory and justifies absolute violence. HÄGGLUND 2:====
"THE NECESSITY OF DISCRIMINATION DISJOINING DERRIDA AND LEVINAS" MARTIN HÄGGLUND
"A possible objection here is that we must striv~ing~e toward
AND
idea of absolute peace is the idea of absolute violence." (49)  

3. Aiming toward consensus is a false goal because consensus is impossible, difference is inevitable and contestation is key. Dividing people up and treating them as enemies is an equally false goal because it denies that the existence of an opposing identity is what constructs yours. The only way to resolve the inevitable conflict that comes with pluralism in our agency and ethics is to embrace an agonistic commitment, which recognizes that conflict is inevitable, but frames the other as a legitimate opponent instead of an enemy because without the opponent, your identity doesn't exist. MOUFFE:

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 DD
"A well-functioning democracy calls for a vibrant clash of democratic political positions
AND
antagonisms that can tear up the very basis of civility." (104)

Thus, the standard is promoting agonistic democracy. To clarify, the standard is concerned with the procedures of agonistic pluralism, not ends. MOUFFE 2:

(Chantal Mouffe, Professor at the Department of Political Science of the Institute for Advanced Studies. June 2000. "The Democratic Paradox")
"To avoid any confusion, I should specify that, contrary to some postmodern
AND
, while accepting them, fight for conflicting interpretations."
Prefer additionally: 

First, educational spaces must embrace contestation. Any attempt to exclude challenges reaffirms pedagogical imperialism. RICKERT:

(Thomas, ""Hands Up, You're Free": Composition in a Post-Oedipal World", JacOnline Journal,)
"This essay will employ Deleuze's and Zizek's theories to illustrate the limitations of writing
AND
is more aggressive than the desire to serve the other" (48)

Second, double bind – Analytic:

A. Analytic.

B. Analytic.

Offense

Soft Power

There are two types of energy production – soft energy and hard energy. Soft energy is localized and facilitates community involvement.

Lovins, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976
(Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
There exists today a body of energy technologies that have certain specific features in common
AND
to end-use needs: a key feature that deserves immediate explanation.

Advocacy

Thus, I affirm that countries ought to prohibit the production of nuclear power as a rejection of hard power. I reserve the right to clarify.

CX checks all theory and spec interps otherwise the neg can force me into needless theory debates every round.

Contention 1: Nuclear Reactors are Centralized

The nuclear power lobby tries to disguise the facts but nuclear power's high costs require a centralized system. This is deeply rooted in a hard energy grid system where energy is produced by large, inflexible reactors.

UCS, nonprofit science advocacy organization based in the United States, 2011
(Union of Concerned Scientists, "Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable without Subsidies (2011)", Online: http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/cost-nuclear-power/nuclear-power-subsidies-report~~#.V9I56SgrK00http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/CO2-and-global-warming-faq.html, Accessed September 5 – MG)
These legacy subsidies are estimated to exceed seven cents per kilowatt-hour (¢/kWh
AND
that have declined as the aging, installed capacity base is fully written off

Nuclear reactors require centralized infrastructure from waste disposal to regulation.

====Paperiello, Regional administrator of Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2011====
(CJ, "Essential infrastructure: national nuclear regulation", Health Phys., January, Online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21399415**, Accessed September 9th – MG)
In order for nuclear power to expand to many countries that do not currently have
AND
material infrastructure can promote the safe and secure worldwide growth in nuclear power.

Centralization not democratic.

Lovins 2, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976
(Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
Such dirigiste autarchy is the first of many distortions of the political fabric. While
AND
the sector may be paramilitarized and further isolated from grass-roots politics.

Contention 2: Technocracy

The risky, esoteric, and highly technical nature of nuclear power demands elitism. A ban on nuclear reactors is the first step away from hard energy.

Lovins 3, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976

• • (Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
    Any demanding high technology tends to develop~s~ influential and dedicated constituencies of
    AND
    both social and energy priorities in a lasting way that resists political remedy.

Nuclear power reinforces all levels of social division- its centralized, technocratic nature legitimates these views throughout society and corrupts all levels of scientific analysis. Martin et. Al 84

(The main authors are Jill Bowling, Brian Martin, Val Plumwood and Ian Watson, with important contributions from Ray Kent, Basil Schur and Rosemary Walters. Strategy against nuclear power http://www.bmartin.cc/pubs/86sa.html)
Why was the nuclear option taken? Nuclear power is not an automatic or inevitable
AND
oppose nuclear power effectively requires addressing the structures in which it is embedded.

Underview

Use a truth-testing paradigm when evaluating the resolution. Any assumption devolves into some conception of truth. FREGE:
Frege '03. Frege, Gottlob. "The Thought: A Logical Inquiry" in Logicism and the Philosophy of Language: Selections from Frege and Russell. Broadview Press. March 2003. Pg. 204.
"It may nevertheless be thought
AND
to the point is found."

Tournament: Heart of Texas Invitational | Round: 2 | Opponent: Mountain Brook GD | Judge: Erick Berdugo

1AC – Mouffe

Framework:

Attempting to understand beings, communities, and ethics as universal will inevitably fail:

There is no I without the other. Identity is intersubjective and constructed through social relations, which are always changing. BUTLER:

(Judith Butler. 1992. "Continent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of "Postmodernism" Feminists Theorize the Political)
"In a sense, the subject is constituted through an _{exclusion and}differentiation,
AND
the point in which it is claimed to be prior to politics itself." 

A. Ethics has to start with the self – otherwise it can't guide action because its principle doesn't have a claim on what I ought to do. But, there is no single stable self. Any attempt to universalize the conception of the self would fail to understand the ontological status of the agent. MILLS:

Charles W. Mills, "Ideal Theory" as Ideology, 2005
"An idealized social ontology. Moral~ity~ theory deals with the normative
AND
superior and inferior positions in social hierarchies of various kinds." (168)

B. Constraints K impacts – Analytic.

Second, differentiation is constitutive of any moral theory because it requires one to distinguish between the ethical and anti-ethical. Justice is found in discrimination. HÄGGLUND:

"THE NECESSITY OF DISCRIMINATION DISJOINING DERRIDA AND LEVINAS" MARTIN HÄGGLUND
"Derrida targets precisely this logic
AND
service of perpetrating the better." (46-48)
2 Impacts:

====A. Analytic. ====

====B. Precedes idealized frameworks. The belief in absolute peace is self-contradictory and justifies absolute violence. HÄGGLUND 2:====
"THE NECESSITY OF DISCRIMINATION DISJOINING DERRIDA AND LEVINAS" MARTIN HÄGGLUND
"A possible objection here is that we must striv~ing~e toward
AND
idea of absolute peace is the idea of absolute violence." (49)  

3. Aiming toward consensus is a false goal because consensus is impossible, difference is inevitable and contestation is key. Dividing people up and treating them as enemies is an equally false goal because it denies that the existence of an opposing identity is what constructs yours. The only way to resolve the inevitable conflict that comes with pluralism in our agency and ethics is to embrace an agonistic commitment, which recognizes that conflict is inevitable, but frames the other as a legitimate opponent instead of an enemy because without the opponent, your identity doesn't exist. MOUFFE:

"The Democratic Paradox" by Chantal Mouffe 2000 DD
"A well-functioning democracy calls for a vibrant clash of democratic political positions
AND
antagonisms that can tear up the very basis of civility." (104)

Thus, the standard is promoting agonistic democracy. To clarify, the standard is concerned with the procedures of agonistic pluralism, not ends. MOUFFE 2:

(Chantal Mouffe, Professor at the Department of Political Science of the Institute for Advanced Studies. June 2000. "The Democratic Paradox")
"To avoid any confusion, I should specify that, contrary to some postmodern
AND
, while accepting them, fight for conflicting interpretations."
Prefer additionally: 

First, educational spaces must embrace contestation. Any attempt to exclude challenges reaffirms pedagogical imperialism. RICKERT:

(Thomas, ""Hands Up, You're Free": Composition in a Post-Oedipal World", JacOnline Journal,)
"This essay will employ Deleuze's and Zizek's theories to illustrate the limitations of writing
AND
is more aggressive than the desire to serve the other" (48)

Second, double bind – Analytic:

A. Analytic.

B. Analytic.

Advocacy

There are two types of energy production – soft energy and hard energy. Soft energy is localized and facilitates community involvement.

Lovins, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976
(Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
There exists today a body of energy technologies that have certain specific features in common
AND
to end-use needs: a key feature that deserves immediate explanation.

Thus, I affirm that countries ought to prohibit the production of nuclear power as a step towards soft energy. I reserve the right to clarify, otherwise the 1AC will be 6 minutes of specification.

CX checks all theory and spec interps otherwise the neg can force me into needless theory debates every round.

Advantage 1: Centralization

The nuclear power lobby tries to disguise the facts but nuclear power's high costs require a centralized system. This is deeply rooted in a hard energy grid system where energy is produced by large, inflexible reactors.

UCS, nonprofit science advocacy organization based in the United States, 2011
(Union of Concerned Scientists, "Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable without Subsidies (2011)", Online: http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/cost-nuclear-power/nuclear-power-subsidies-report~~#.V9I56SgrK00http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/CO2-and-global-warming-faq.html, Accessed September 5 – MG)
These legacy subsidies are estimated to exceed seven cents per kilowatt-hour (¢/kWh
AND
that have declined as the aging, installed capacity base is fully written off

Nuclear reactors require centralized infrastructure from waste disposal to regulation.

Paperiello, Regional administrator of Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2011
(CJ, "Essential infrastructure: national nuclear regulation", Health Phys., January, Online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21399415, Accessed September 9th – MG)
In order for nuclear power to expand to many countries that do not currently have
AND
material infrastructure can promote the safe and secure worldwide growth in nuclear power.

Centralization not democratic.

Lovins 2, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976
(Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
Such dirigiste autarchy is the first of many distortions of the political fabric. While
AND
the sector may be paramilitarized and further isolated from grass-roots politics.

Advantage 2: Technocracy

Risks of a malfunction empower the government to do whatever they want to do at any cost.

Lovins, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976
(Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
If the technology used, like nuclear power, is subject to technical surprises and
AND
second weighs heavily, perhaps too heavily, in operating and safety decisions.

Nuclear power legitimizes the silencing of grassroots movements.

Lovins, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976
(Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
For all these reasons, if nuclear power were clean, safe, economic,
AND
may be that, like motherhood, everyone is in favor of them.

A ban on nuclear reactors is the first step away from hard energy by breaking down the technocracy.

Lovins 3, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles, 1976

• • (Amory B., "Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?", Foreign Affairs, October Issue, Online: http://courses.washington.edu/pbaf595/Readings/Lovins_1976.pdf**, Accessed September 8 – MG)
    Any demanding high technology tends to develop~s~ influential and dedicated constituencies of
    AND
    distorts both social and energy priorities in a lasting way that resists political remedy