Advantage (debate)

In competitive debate an advantages is the way that the affirmative team refers to the positive consequences of adopting their position on the debate resolution. It is an argument structure that seeks to convince the judge that the affirmative advocacy, if adopted, would result in a net-beneficial improvement to the status quo. ^[1]

Structure

Some variance in the structure of an advantage exists. The following are two of the most common structures:^[1]

Method 1

• Uniqueness: An argument describing something in the status quo.
• Impact: an argument explaining why that condition of the status quo is damaging.
• Solvency: an argument describing how the plan can alter the status quo to avoid the impact.

Method 2

• Uniqueness: Claims about the status quo (typically undesirable, or heading in a bad direction).
• Link: An argument of how/why the plan causes something in the status quo to change.
• Internal Link: How/why the link will result in a particular outcome.
• Impact: The bad things avoided by passing plan or the goods things that come to be.

See also

• Disadvantage

References