Value (V) = goal; Criterion (C) = the test to reach that goal.
- Common pairs: Justice → Protect Rights; Morality → Maximize Wellbeing; Legitimacy → Democratic Accountability.
- Contention = Claim → Warrant → Impact → Evidence (CWIPE adds Preempt).
Aff Example
AFFIRMATIVE — Sample Case (abridged) Framework Value: Justice — treating people as moral equals. Criterion: Protect basic rights — justice requires safeguarding core liberties. Contention 1 — Due Process prevents wrongful punishment Tag: Strong procedure reduces wrongful convictions. Card: Gross & O'Brien 2020 — When courts enforce due process, error rates fall significantly. Warrant: Procedures like counsel and evidence rules filter unreliable testimony. Impact: Rights protection; human dignity. Contention 2 — Free expression checks government abuse Tag: Speech rights enable oversight. Card: Levitsky & Ziblatt 2018 — Independent speech exposes abuses. Warrant: Whistleblowers and press need protection to reveal wrongdoing. Impact: Prevents rights violations; preserves legitimacy. Voters 1) Under Protect Rights, the aff uniquely safeguards due process & speech. 2) Even under utility, rights protection prevents large-scale harm from state abuse.
Neg Example
NEGATIVE — Sample Case (abridged) Framework Value: Justice — fair social cooperation. Criterion: Maximize overall wellbeing — policy evaluated by outcomes. Contention 1 — Over-broad rights claims backfire Tag: Absolutist rights cause worse outcomes. Card: Sunstein 2019 — Rights without balancing undermine safety. Warrant: In crises, inflexible rules delay life-saving action. Impact: Higher mortality; social breakdown. Contention 2 — Decision procedures reduce error Tag: Outcome-focused rules save more lives. Card: Tetlock 2016 — Probabilistic forecasting improves policy. Warrant: Calibrated priors + evidence aggregation → better choices. Impact: Protects more people in aggregate. Voters 1) Under wellbeing, neg prevents greater harms; magnitude + probability outweigh. 2) Even under rights, rights are better preserved long-term when society survives crises.
When to use which V/C
- Use Justice → Protect Rights when your offense is rights-based (speech, movement, due process).
- Use Morality → Maximize Wellbeing when your offense is empirical and outcome-focused.
- Against util Negs, pick rights; against rights-heavy Affs, pick wellbeing to weigh scope/probability.
Skeletons
- 1AC: Intro → V/C → C1 (tag/card/warrant/impact) → C2 → Spikes → Voters.
- 1NC (trad): V/C → Case turns/defense → One clean contention → Voters.