Hello Everyone.
I apologyze for the delay in announcing the results😳. But, you know what they say, "sabar ka phal meetha hota hai". You all have waited long enough, so without making you wait any longer, let me announce the results.
First of all, all four of you performed extremely well 👏👏.This was a great debate and I'm sure everyone enjoyed it greatly.
Our two judges are people very familiar with DM. Two of our most articulate, logical and intelligent debators. They are none other than Priya di (greatmaratha) and Tanaz di (T.).
Here is what they had to say:
[quote=T.]
DC 6 Judgement
Best Debator – Meena1
Runner Up – UDMan
Winning Team – Against team. They were better in terms of prep.
The debate overall was well done. All debaters were mostly on par with each other, which is why deciding on the best debater was difficult for me. Teamwork was evident on both sides at one instance or another during the debate.
However, while both teams provided evidence on some aspects, there were other points which were loosely supported or which completely contradicted their original stance.
There were times when a reference was made to abortion (an excellent parallel example which could have been used to further your arguments). Capital Punishment is another excellent example which could have helped both sides had they chosen to use it as a parallel. This idea came about when I read a debater's post on whether we were "playing God."
Another criticism I have is related to the lengthy articles. While providing evidence to support your points via third party sources is highly encouraged, its better to integrate the articles in your argument by means of smaller paragraphs OR at least highlight the key points that you would like the reader to get out of the articles.
For Euthanasia Team
Souro – Started opening statement with very strong and valid points. However, it would have been better if he supported them with some real life examples from another source. Later on, he put in some very relevant quotes and stats and I liked how he pointed out the excessive economic costs of keeping euthanasia patients alive. He talked about "laws" which would be in place to prevent misuse of euthanasia; however had he given some examples of the laws where euthanasia is legal, it would have made his argument much stronger.
Meena1 – Views were very clear and balanced for the most part and she really put a definition to the debate on where Euthanasia can and cannot be used. She also continued to support her partner, and added more points to his questions rather than repeating the same thing. Her point on changing religious beliefs was excellent! The "moralist stance" on euthanasia was well countered. One problem I found was the article "Health Psychiatrists support euthanasia", where the psychiatrists said they did not support legalisation of euthanasia. I think that kind of contradicted the For team's stance for legalizing euthanasia.
Against Euthanasia Team
UDMan – Opening statement was excellent and well supported by examples. His/her research was evident and convincing for the most part. Midway, some of the arguments became weak (eg. Funeral costs, countering pain with morphine) and they were well-countered by the For team. However, UDMan's initial arguments were so good that they really helped the Against team
Guardian Angel – Very good opening with great examples. I like the fact that she pointed out how one can't really know if the patient consents to euthanasia. This is a crucial problem which is faced by people who are trying to legalize it. Only one problem is that she was unable to provide proper support for the economic costs of euthanasia.
[/quote]
[quote=greatmaratha]
Both teams have presented well thought of and well developed arguments in support of and against Euthanasia. Passionate opinions and logical reasoning backed by resources on both sides of the debates made it a very interesting topic to read, but unlike other debates, I believe this one cant have a "clear winner" of an answer or a clear winner of the debate.
Both UDman and Meena1 presented extremely well researched and documented posts, it would be difficult to rate one over the other, but the rules of the contest need that we find a winner, so I am giving the reasons why I thought Meena1 scored over UDman in the methodology of debates and posting.
Interesting analogy drawn to use of marijuana as illegal, on issue of drugs on demand by UDman, but the reasoning behind using this analogy was not well developed, leaving a question in the mind as to how can marijuana be compared to use of a "drug" for performing euthanasia.
Stark comparison to the retort/ reply/ rebuttal by Meena1 to a question or analogy thrown by UDman, on use of prosthesis arm or a artificial heart. Quick and well thought of reply on the "artificial brain".
Use of the Terri story in the debate was good, but it could have been used a lot more to emphasise all the issues it threw up in the debate. The conclusion was a bit abrupt, maybe due to paucity of time.
Turing to Souro, very well developed arguments in support of her contentions. Excellent rebuttals on all points ensuring nothing was left uncovered in the debate.
Guardian Angel had very good points, but not enough rebuttals to the points opposing her views, leaving it rather open in the end.
There were some loose debates on depression too being a reason to opt for Euthanasia, but that's only a fear, not a reality.
Overall, I would give more points to the team supporting Euthanasia, for presenting their arguments in a more reasoned manner. Meena1 did very well in presenting extremely well researched debate. UDman presented very good articles of research, but I thought udman lagged behind in expanding the rationale behind the articles/ resource materials.
[/quote]
While they agreed on the winner and runner up, their opinion on a winning side differed. Thus, there will not be an award for the winning side. All four of you are winners and both sides were amazing👏
However, we do have winners for the debate and they are none other than
👏Meena1 👏
(Winner)
and
👏UDman👏
(Runner-up)
Congrats to both of you👏👏👏
PS: prizes on pg. 4😳
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