My opponent has just lost The Game within the past ten minutes.

"Not really. You just have to have thought of The Game up to ten minutes prior to the start of our debate" Is the past ten minutes always prior to the start of this debate? If I dropped my hat in the past ten minutes, does that necessarily mean that I was referring to the past ten minutes prior to starting this debate? The phrase 'past ten minutes,' is just like 'yesterday' ; they don't mark an absolute point in time. They are always respective with the present time and are always changing. Today's ten minutes ago isn't the same as tommorow's ten minutes ago. "Ah-hah. To know that to lose The Game, you had to think about The Game. Therefore, you thought about The Game, through logic. " Ok I lost the dang game I'll admit it! Sheesh! But that was (x) minutes ago when I posted. ""Also, this isn't true as an absolute. .. " Actually, it is. A debate on this site does not officially start until the Contender posts his first argument. On your profile, 4 minutes after you posted your argument: "deity is debating mongeese: My opponent has just lost The Game within the past ten minutes. 4 minutes ago"" Ok, the resolution was affirmed THEN. But 11 minutes after then it was negated. Like I said before, your victory is only temporary. As soon as I post this argument the resolution will be affirmed. However 10+ minutes afterwards it will be negated. ""[You] have absolutely no way to empirically prove I was thinking about 'The Game' at any given time. " Empirical - originating in or based on observation or experience (. http://www.merriam-webster.com......) I observe that you claimed to have lost The Game. Therefore, you must have thought about The Game to lose The Game, so you thought about The Game. I have proven that you thought about the game based on observation. " You didn't include my entire rebuttal. "On top of that, you have the burden of proof, and have absolutely no way to empirically prove I was thinking about "The Game" at any given time. Or better yet, EVERY given time. " There's no way you could ever know or prove I was thinking about the game at EVERY GIVEN MOMENT. :) ""I've lost the game. " My opponent pretty much conceded everything I needed. "But not necessarily within ten minutes prior to someone viewing this debate. " But it is necessarily within ten minutes prior to you posting your argument at the time in which the debate starts, and the resolution takes effect. " That's not what the resolution says. The resolution is not "my opponent has lost the game within the last ten minutes prior to his post," rather, "my opponent has lost the game within the last ten minutes (period)" The last ten minutes can only be relative to someone viewing this debate. And although the resolution does take effect when the debate starts, and I'll admit the resolution was affirmed then, it's only a matter of time when the resolution will be negated. ""The resolution is negated" Nope. " It's only a matter of time my friend. You'll win the battle but lose the war. "In order for my opponent to post anything about The Game, he would have to think about The Game. When my opponent submitted his argument to start the debate and put the resolution into effect, he thought about The Game. Therefore, he lost The Game during the time specified by the resolution when it went into effect. Therefore, the resolution is affirmed. " As I've said before, the specified time isn't absolute. Just because I've lost the game in the past does not make the resolution affirmed, because it has to be within the past ten minutes. "This was to be the round in which I counter whatever defense my opponent could use to defend his primary argument. The loss of this round is more detrimental to me than to my opponent. " :) "And please, no vote bombing. " All vote bomb CON! !! Just kidding. Seriously though, after Sunday May 21st 2009 at 8:26 AM (the sites time), the resolution is negated because ten minutes will have passed.