Lee,+Calvin

Judge Paradigm I did policy debate for 3 years and Lincoln-Douglas debate in my senior year. But don’t worry, I did fairly well in the 2008 CA state tournament in LD so don’t think I’m a noob or anything. I’m a student at Northwestern University. I prefer judging Lincoln-Douglas. General: My general philosophy is that I will judge based on the content of arguments. If the speaker fails to articulate the weight of an argument (warrant, impact, etc) it’s not in game at all. I prefer debates that are a balance of “stock” arguments as well as framework. Basically, I prefer a debate that gets into the content of the resolution and not so much its context. Speaks: As long as I can understand the speakers, I give high speaks. Unless one completely descends into a mush of speed, I wouldn’t give out low speaks. Speed: I’m fine with it, but only to the point that I can comprehend it. I’ll yell out “clear” if there is anything incoherent. If it’s still garbled, I will fold me hands and wait patiently for the speaker to acknowledge that I can’t understand a thing. A priori: If a debater is going for an a priori argument, they need to explain effects on the round and the arguments in the round or it goes completely over my head. I would vote on these, but I would prefer not to. Theory: This is fine if something is truly abusive, but I would never award a round on theory alone unless one’s case is completely abusive (which it shouldn’t be). I look at theory as an argument that eliminates abusive arguments, not necessarily entire cases. Plus if someone wants to run theory, elaborate on why it’s important to the round and don’t just mention it in passing. K’s: I’m generally fine with criticism, but I’m not widely read on philosophical arguments. If I were to vote on a critique, someone should explain it very well. Presumption: I will begin with a presumption for the negative, but I’m also open to arguments that presume affirmative. Misc: If I think an argument is crazy/insane/ridiculous or any combination of the 3, I will show it on my face. Just putting that out there. Any questions, please email me at blindbard393@gmail.com Best of luck!