Gateway to the Future

 Purpose of a Topic  Topicality in Practice  Topicality on the Space Topic

- Fair Starting point for the debate -Aff Ground -Neg Ground

 Topicality as a Tactic  Topicality as a Strategy

 Topicality as a Tactic (Time-tradeoff)  Disadvantages ◦ Annoys Certain Judges ◦ Trades off with other better arguments  Advantages ◦ Uses Aff Time ◦ Possible 2NR option

 Advantages ◦ Directs aff towards your neg strats ◦ Clear research  Disadvantages ◦ Telegraph your strategy

 Interpretation  Violation  Reasons to Prefer  Voting Issues

 Vision of the Topic ◦ What should debate look like on this topic? ◦ Examples of Cases that meet your interp.  Evidence Based ◦ Contextual ◦ Non-Arbitrary ◦ Not Over-limited

 Specifically crafted (for the aff) ◦ Based in your evidence  Don’t exclude Mainstream affs ◦ Not Over broad

 Focus of Topicality Debate ◦ Predictable (w/in the Lit)  Preparation ◦ Education (Topic Specific)  External Benefit of Debate ◦ Ground (Generic and Case Specific)  Preserves competitive equity

 Why is Topicality a Voting Issue? ◦ Jurisdiction  Cart before the Horse ◦ Procedural Burden ◦ Competitive Enterprise of Debate

 Most Objective? ◦ Fairness  Deters Small Affs ◦ Education  Purpose of Debate ◦ Evolution of Argument (Truth)

 Extra T ◦ Whole Plan has to be Topical  FX T ◦ What does it mean to be Topical by effects?  Vacuum Test

 We meet  Counter-Interpretation  Reasons to Prefer  Reasonability

 Purpose of a we meet? ◦ Defense to their offense  IE, the Aff is predictable  Not Just “we meet their interp”

 Mirrors Interp requirements  Vision of the Topic ◦ What should debate look like on this topic? ◦ Examples of Cases that meet your interp. (not just yours)  Evidence Based ◦ Contextual ◦ Non-Arbitrary ◦ Not Under-limited

 Aff Flex  Predictable Literature

 More accurately “Competing Interps Bad” ◦ Good is Good Enough

 Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its exploration and/or development of space beyond the Earth’s mesosphere.  Key phrases ◦ “exploration of space” ◦ “development of space” ◦ “beyond the Earth’s mesosphere”

 More limited than development ◦ “Exploration” refers to space activities toward the Moon, Mars, or NEOs --- this excludes the outer Solar System and beyond and satellites in Earth’s orbit

 Aff Inclusive definitions ◦ SBSP ◦ Re-usable Launch Vehicles ◦ Communication Satellites  Neg Limits ◦ Not Military Affs (Peaceful)

 “Beyond” means outside the limits of  Collins 9 (Collins English Dictionary Unabridged, “beyond”,  -- prep  1. at or to a point on the other side of; at or to the further side of: beyond those hills there is a river  2. outside the limits or scope of: beyond this country's jurisdiction  Mesosphere is 50 miles out  WC 11 (Weather Channel – Weather Glossary, “M”,  MESOSPHERE  The layer of the atmosphere located between the stratosphere and the ionosphere, wheretemperatures drop rapidly with increasing height. It extends between 31 and 50 miles (17 to 80 kilometers) above the earth's surface.