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Architect Clarence Stein once proclaimed, “A small house must depend on its grouping with other houses for its beauty, and for the preservation of light air and the maximum of surrounding open space.” Even as houses must depend on its grouping with other houses, and the cooperation of the other houses to achieve maximum excellence, we must depend on cooperation with others to achieve maximum excellence.
That is why for the sake of my value, maximization, I stand resolved that competition is not superior to cooperation as a means of achieving excellence. Lincoln Douglas Value Debate is all based on the value. The burden of the Affirmative and Negative speaker is to show how their value dictates that we affirm or negate the resolution; whoever does this best should be granted the win. My value is maximization, and my criterion, or way of achieving my value is cooperation.
Maximization is defined by Webster's Revised Unabridged, 1913 Edition as, “The act or process of increasing to the highest degree.”
Today my thesis or main point is that cooperation allows us to have the maximization of excellence. We will also discuss how maximization should be our highest value, cooperation allows us to achieve the maximization of excellence, competition requires cooperation, and cooperation begins where competition leaves off.
Contention One—Maximization should be our highest value. Les Brown once said, “Just because Fate doesn't deal you the right cards, it doesn't mean you should give up. It just means you have to play the cards you get to their maximum potential.” Through every circumstance, if we value maximization, we will make the most of what we have. Also, if we truly value maximization, we would strive to achieve other values that would make our lives the best they could be. Maximization should be our highest value.
Contention Two—Cooperation allows us to achieve the maximization of excellence. Just take the Alltel-Version merger. The two companies had major cooperation, and now both are better off. Not only do they have more customers, and better range, but their company is closer to achieving maximization of excellence.
Contention Three—Competition requires cooperation. The space race is a well known competition between the United States and the U.S.S.R., but there was still much cooperation necessary to reach to moon. John F. Kennedy said, “In a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there.” Going to the moon required cooperation between the U.S. Government, NASA, the astronauts, mission control, the American people, and other government agencies. The space race was not just a competition; it was also a great cooperation.
Contention Four—Cooperation begins where competition leaves off. Franklin D. Roosevelt once noted, “Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” Competition is great for some things, but cooperation is needed for other things.
So now let’s recap. Today my thesis or main point has been that cooperation allows us to have the maximization of excellent. We also discussed how maximization should be our highest value, cooperation allows us to achieve the maximization of excellence, competition requires cooperation, and cooperation begins where competition leaves off.
I will now use the rest of my time to show some problems with the affirmative position.
