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The Contest
What is liberalism? What is conservatism?
These two questions are actually three. When we ask "What is conservatism?" we really mean, "what makes it different from liberalism." And so to consider this question, we need to define the third part: what liberalism and conservatism have in common. What they do not have in common is their difference. So we're considering 3 things: Liberalism, Conservatism, What They Have in Common.
All aspects of The Contest are open to debate. The objective is to have as logical and consensual a system as possible. The rules as presented here are only a starting point, and they are subject to debate like anything else.
Thus, there are two contests running concurrently: One is the liberalism/conservatism debate; the other is the very functioning of The Argument Clinic itself. Points and penalties apply equally to both.
The Rules
1) When you are arguing you must define both differences and similarities. "No Similarity" or "No Difference" are acceptable arguments.
a) You will gain a point if your original assertion is accepted by the other debaters, or if the other debaters cannot find a fallacy in it.
b) Accepted definitions are entered into the Debate-a-Base. All subsequent arguments must use the Debate-a-Base definitions, or challenge them.
2) The Moderator does not argue in the Liberalism/Conservatism contest--he only agrees or moderates disputes. The Moderator does argue in the debate on the procedures, scoring, etc.
2) You can challenge any Moderator decision, at any time, however:
a) You will lose a point if you unsuccessfully defend a fallacy after it has been called. Therefore, any defense should be well-thought-out and present an argument that was not considered in the original decision.
b) A successful defense must prove that the original argument was not fallacious; i.e., that the decision was faulty.
c) If challenged, a debater can reverse his or her own argument and concede a fallacy to the challenger. A concession will not cost a point; only an unsuccessful defense will.
3) Once an argument is ruled a fallacy, all subsequent arguments must follow. That is, you can't proceed as if a fallacy is a sound argument.
4) A valid argument can be based on faulty premises. If such an argument is revealed, no points are deducted for the original argument (because it is valid), but a point is awarded to the debater who calls the faulty premise(s).
5) An argument is over when one side cannot make any new defense of their argument. 5 consecutive fallacies constitute a loss.
Questions:
--These are a few points just waiting to be awarded.
How do reversals of old decisions affect the scoring?
How does a debater's score affect his/her standing at TAC? When is a high score an advantage, if logic is all that matters? Is there a "casting vote?"
Can you get points for fixing bad wording?
Are there ever half-points or double points, or is it always just 1 point?
What was I thinking? Seriously. I was just about to post a rule, and by the time I opened the page to type it in, I forgot it. It's a good, and fairly obvious, rule. I'll recognize it if you mention it. 1 point to the first person to tell me what I was thinking.