Examples of Weighing Mechanisms

December 2011 – Resolved: In the United States, current income disparities threaten democratic ideals.

Area of analysis: “democratic ideals”

Values in conflict: Right to education, equal opportunity (within opportunity the values of equal access and equal ability to succeed), upward mobility, quality of life, economic freedom, purchasing power

Weighing Mechanism: To write a WM, you must prioritize values within “democratic ideals.” One option is to argue that a central democratic ideal is individual ability to succeed.  The PRO would want to weigh access to quality education is more important than economic freedom because it liberates the poor from inherited class status. Both PRO and CON would share the common value of ability to improve one’s quality of life.

October 2011 – Resolved: Private sector investment in human space exploration is preferable to public sector investment.

Area of analysis: private sector vs. public sector

Values in conflict: free market innovation vs. bureaucratic checks/oversight, financial freedom vs. financial stability, profit motive vs. accountability

Weighing Mechanism: The WM must find a common goal within the resolution. From that goal, pick two values in conflict. “More discoveries” is a common goal in this resolution. Discoveries lead to advances; investment is best spent when it improves processes or results. One example of values in conflict here is free market innovation vs. government oversight. Free market innovation breeds more discoveries than government research. This conflict exists because of the free market lacks of bureaucratic oversight.