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DebateForge Lab

Explore Arguments. Question Evidence. Understand Values.

Better Debates Start with Better Reasoning.

DebateForge Lab brings together debate, mathematics and ethical reasoning to help students explore the evidence, assumptions and values behind real-world disagreements, and reach judgments of their own.

Explore Debate Motions Discover Math × Debate
Diagram of an argument: evidence supports a mechanism, the mechanism depends on an assumption and leads to an impact, a value explains why the impact matters, and counterevidence challenges the evidence.PROPOSITIONClaimMECHANISMHow it worksEVIDENCESupporting dataASSUMPTIONWhat must be trueCOUNTEREVIDENCEContrary findingIMPACTConsequenceVALUEWhy it matterssupportssupportsdepends onleads togives weightchallenges

Three questions every analysis separates

  1. Question 1

    Is the claim factually supported?

    Does reliable empirical evidence support it, and how strong is that evidence?

  2. Question 2

    Does the conclusion logically follow?

    Are there hidden assumptions, missing mechanisms or alternative explanations?

  3. Question 3

    Why should this value take priority?

    Even if the consequences are real, why should they decide the question?

Debate the Real World

Every motion starts from a documented event, law or policy. These five benchmark analyses set the standard for the collection.

All motions

Explore Argument Maps

An argument map makes reasoning visible. Each node has a job — claim, mechanism, assumption, evidence, counterevidence, rebuttal, impact, value or weighing — and each arrow names a relationship: supports, challenges, depends on, qualifies, leads to, justifies or conflicts with.

Eighteen motion maps are built from each motion’s written case, and three cross-case maps compare reasoning across social media, education and housing debates.

Open the map explorer

Node types

  • Claim
  • Mechanism
  • Evidence
  • Assumption
  • Counterevidence
  • Rebuttal
  • Impact
  • Value
  • Weighing

Relationships

  • supports
  • challenges
  • depends on
  • qualifies
  • leads to
  • justifies
  • conflicts with

Understand the Values Behind Every Debate

“Lower tuition costs” is an impact; equality of educational opportunity is the value that explains why it matters. Separate the two, and you can see whether a disagreement is about facts or about priorities.

Values & Clashes

Think Mathematically, Argue Critically

Correlation, selection, base rates and trade-offs decide how much a statistic should move you. Every module has a working interactive, and six lessons connect proof, counterexamples and optimisation to debate.

All 15 modules

From Evidence to Reasoned Judgment

Each analysis follows the same learning path, so you practise the method rather than memorise a winning case.

  1. 01

    Real event

    Start from a law, policy or public controversy.

  2. 02

    Motion

    Frame a fair, specific question for debate.

  3. 03

    Argument map

    Reconstruct each side's reasoning step by step.

  4. 04

    Evidence

    Weigh what supports and what challenges each step.

  5. 05

    Value clash

    Identify why each side's impacts matter.

  6. 06

    Mathematical reasoning

    Check the numbers and the causal claims.

  7. 07

    Reasoned judgment

    Reach and defend your own conclusion.

Our mission

Debate is not merely about winning an argument. It is about understanding what lies beneath the disagreement. DebateForge Lab helps students explore real-world social issues, examine how arguments are built, weigh evidence and uncertainty, and understand the values that lead reasonable people to different conclusions, in debate rounds and in everyday life.

From “How can I win this argument?” to “What can this disagreement teach me about the world?”

Why DebateForge Lab exists Read the methodology