Researchers are suggesting that reason evolved for a completely different purpose: to win arguments. Rationality, by this yardstick (and irrationality too, but we’ll get to that) is nothing more or less than a servant of the hard-wired compulsion to triumph in the debating arena. According to this view, bias, lack of logic and other supposed flaws that pollute the stream of reason are instead social adaptations that enable one group to persuade (and defeat) another.

The topic, as I see it, is the relative value/importance for economists of pushing "liberty," i.e., a policy of minimal government interference, and "efficiency," a standard policy evaluation metric that attempts to neutrally weigh policy consequences for different people.

I will choose in order to get what I want. But in my role as economic adviser, a role I admire and embrace, I will try to fairly and consistently suggest the most efficient deals, as the availability of such advisers offers a great opportunity for everyone to get more of what they want.

I accept that such deals may not always contain the most liberty possible, because while people do usually want liberty, all else equal, they often want other things that conflict with liberty. In my role as a neutral adviser, it is not my place to tell people they should want something other than they do want; my job is just to get them more of what they want.

Tons and tons of research and pdfs. Dig through it, dom.

A good collection of notes on the White Man's Burden book.

A good long list of debate resources; I've already bookmarked some.

One key part of debate is Cross Examination, where teams question each other. This is a good starting list of questions to ask the affirmatives.

A good list of possible affirmative cases.

Another good starting point, and another general overview of the topic.

The president of something or other delivers a significant report on the topic. A good starting point.

Glossary of all the terms we should know for the first debate.

Top 10 Problems with Current Health Aid to Africa.

An extensive manual on Lincoln-Douglas debate. We do policy debate, or cross examination debate, but it applies to a lot of debate ideas.

Odd name for a great, comprehensive manual on debate.

An article on improving your speaking skills.

This is a 10 hour series of videos which cover various debate topics. I've watched maybe 20% of it (it's fine to skip around) and it's good stuff.

Debate Central's research section. A ton of resources and information, as well as the Resolution [Dom: Read that, so you know what it is exactly.]

One of the best sites I've found on Debate. A great research section, with up to date information.

My old debate social bookmarking page, with Nick.