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Quantity vs quality

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admin
By admin | Nov 23 2014 6:20 AM
Which is more important:

- spending your time making more arguments?
- spending your time making fewer arguments better?

Had an argument over this with another user over chat about this so I thought it'd be prime for a community discussion.
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nzlockie
By nzlockie | Nov 23 2014 8:16 AM
admin: Like anything, there will be exceptions, but I'd say that in general, the quality of your arguments is infinitely more important than the quantity of them.

One classic exception to this would be the time you find yourself on the losing side of certain resolutions. In that case, a valid strategy would be to bombard your opponent, (and the judges) with as many arguments as possible. Throw enough mud and something is bound to stick.
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Wylted
By Wylted | Jan 7 2015 3:30 AM
I like quality over quantity as well but occasionally I'll throw a few crappy arguments in there that take a ton of space to refute.
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whiteflame
By whiteflame | Jan 7 2015 7:11 AM
admin: There's no easy answer. It depends partially on the type of debate, but mainly on the judge and what they allow. If drops are really important to a judge, that will mean they favor quantity over quality. If they care more about engagement on issues and having better explained arguments, it's quality.

As someone who's debated and judged in styles that run across that spectrum, I can say that I favor quality. I'd say debaters are best served by focusing on quality, as most judges are only going to vote for arguments that get thorough analysis. But there's a balance. Quantity has a place as well, and debaters need to understand that. Some people throw their all into one argument and fall short, so it's important to recognize when your arguments are good enough to stand alone, or if they require others to buttress them.
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