Skills Gained from debate...

My opponent passed R2 and forfeited R3. Forfeiting is a conduct violation. Besides that, there is nothing that takes the life out of a debate like having one of the debaters fail to show up. Still, this is a five round debate, so Con still has time to make a case.1. Which is better all dependsWhether verbal or written debate is more valuable depends upon what skills a person values. In R1, my opponent claimed "the abilities one gains through spoken debate are more valuable than those gained from debating online." He provided no definition or way to measure of "value" in his challenge, and that is fatal to any case he may ultimately pres. If what one values is, say, overcoming fear of public speaking, then spoken debate will valuable. But if one finds the ability to write clearly more important, then written debate will be more valuable. It is ultimately impossible to prove one better than the other.2. Verbal debate emphasizes performance artRecall the description by an admirer of Jesse Jackson's speaking skills, "Whenever he speaks, it seems to draw me in, and make me believe everything he touches on. His looks are intimidating along with his piercing eyes and strong southern accent. If he’s serious about something, the audience knows it. If he’s praising someone, the audience will be well informed of why this person deserves such gratitude. If he’s happy or concerned, the audience will also be aware"Those are valuable skills for preachers and politicians, but not so much for most people.3. Written debate requires original researchComparing verbal academic debate in the 1990s compared to the 1960s, Prof. Robert Greenstreet finds" ...debating today is wholly different due to the tremendous proliferation of summer institutes and pre-season analysis clinics, and the widespread acceptance of and reliance on handbooks, externally prepared briefs and cases, and prepackaged evidence."National Forensic Journal http://www.nationalforensics.org...The professor goes on to say,"while most contemporary debate texts claim study of and/ or experience in debate enhances the critical thinking skills of practitioners, little empirical evidence exists in support of that claim."In verbal academic debate as practiced, both the evidence and the arguments are so heavy prepackaged that the primary skills developed are performance skills. Of course, verbal debats are not entirely scripted, and the induction of cross-examination promotes analysis. Still, verbal debates are much more about performance than written debates.I contended in (2) that while performance skills are valuable to some people, they are not valuable to most people. However, written debate covers a great variety of topics. Debating the topics requires original research to obtain the relevant facts, and original critical thinking to develop the arguments.Research and critical thinking skills developed by written debate are important to everyone. As voters, people must assess the truth of politicians claims and try to past the politicians' performance art. As consumers, people doll to assess important purchases critically. Those with as interest in debate of any kind tend to go into intellectual work careers. the ability to research and critically evaluate apply to virtually any intellectual pursuit.While there s no way to tell with certainty what skills will be valuable to a particular person, it's like that for debaters analytical skills will be more important than performance art.