A little CatNats, including the abstention negative, with a side of logic

The new Loquitur podcast does a good job of pointing out that there are serious problems with American education by establishing a forecast for future global employment needs and pointing out that all the good jobs are going to go somewhere else. If we measure education for its ability to provide a useful, gainfully employed citizenry into the marketplace—a perfectly good method of measuring, I’d say—then we are up the creek without a paddle. The problem with this thesis is, the false dichotomy of arts/athletics is beside the point. US education needs to concentrate on math and sciences in a world where most of the high-paying jobs require math and sciences. Neither an extra hour on the violin or on the weight-lifting equipment is going to help much. Of course, this particular thesis does miss the point that not ALL future jobs will be for engineers, but I wouldn’t have much problem arguing that US education in social sciences and reading/writing is also absolutely pathetic. Given the high percentage of debate students, presumably at the top of their classes, who are semi-illiterate, well, there you are. I thank my lucky stars on a regular basis that I don’t have to deal with whoever it is who is at the bottom of their classes. Unfortunately, however, after this rather interesting program which I listened to this morning, one is no closer to solving the Mystery of the Missing Conflict (AKA the CatNat topic) than when one started, aside from adding a global perspective to one’s approach, if one is so inclined. Again, this is no fault of the Loquiturians, who have nothing to discuss but the topics they are given. Anyone going to CatNats should at least give it a listen.

The one thing that serious CatNatters need to be prepared for is what I’ll call the abstention negative. While I don’t usually discuss tactics and strategy here, as I don’t want you blaming me when you go down in flames (I’ve already got a team that handles that perfectly well), there is one prospect afoot that you need to be prepared for if you’re not already. Keep in mind that while plenty of great debaters qualify for CatNats, a surprising number of not-so-great debaters also qualify in regions where they don’t have much debate but nonetheless they have a quota of debaters they can send. These less experienced debaters, stifled by the obliqueness of the topic, might be inclined to abstain and run a negative that says not that athletics ought to be valued higher, but that neither should be valued higher, that they are both equally important (or unimportant) and should be treated identically insofar as the dealing of funds (the demonstration of valuing) is concerned. This being CatNats, you are not allowed to hit these debaters over the head with a frying pan. Worse, given the lay nature of the audience, there may be those in the back seats who buy this approach as a viable strategy. You, of course, know better, in that this removes all aff ground and is therefore unacceptable. But you’ll need a better defense than that when the time comes. I’m not guaranteeing that the time will definitely come, but be prepared. More unusual things have happened.

By the way, isn’t this an example of the logical fallacy of affirming the consequent:

1. Since everyone in possession of nuclear weapons is too sane to ever use them, no one will ever use a nuclear weapon.
2. No one has ever used a nuclear weapon.
3. Therefore, everyone in possession of nuclear weapons is too sane to ever use them.

I could be wrong on that, as I’m no logician. But I heard this a couple of times last weekend (and of course it does stem from Baudrillardian type analysis, but that’s beside the point). In any case, I do not subscribe to the argument that just because something has not happened, that somehow that proves that it will never happen. In support of my position, I offer just one word: virginity.

My, my, my. I am seldom no debate-oriented. I must have awoken on the right side of bed this morning.