Justice Debate Prep Sheet

A justice course is built around arguments, not slogans. For every controversy, separate intuition, principle, objection, and reply.

Identify the theory

Ask whether the argument is utilitarian, rights-based, Kantian, libertarian, egalitarian, communitarian, or virtue-based. Each theory highlights something important and misses something else.

Build the case

State the principle first. Then apply it to the case. A utilitarian asks about aggregate welfare. A rights theorist asks what individuals may not do to one another. A Rawlsian asks what principles would be fair under conditions that remove knowledge of social advantage. A virtue theorist asks what character and common life a policy encourages.

Make the objection serious

The strongest essay or debate answer gives the other side its best version. If you defend markets, answer the worry that money can corrupt civic goods. If you defend equality, answer the worry about liberty and incentives.

End with judgment

Do not merely say that every side has a point. Explain which consideration should control and why. Justice arguments improve when they make tradeoffs explicit.