I. Refutation explained.

II. Refutation may be carried on:
1. By overwhelming constructive argument.
2. By showing the weakness of opponents' argument.

III. The time for refutation:
1. Allotted time.
2. Special times.

IV. The right spirit in refutation.

Our work up to this point has dealt with what is called the
_constructive argument_, i.e., the building up of the proof. But to
make the judges believe as you wish, you must not merely support your
contentions; you must destroy the proof which your opponents are
trying to construct.

As with the successful athletic team and the successful general, so
with the successful debater, it is necessary, not only to attack, but
also to repulse; not only to carry out the plan of your own side, but
to meet and defeat the plan which the other side has developed. In
debating, this repulse, this destruction of the arguments of the
opposition, is called _refutation_ or _rebuttal_.

There are two principal ways in which the refutation of the opponent's
argument can be accomplished. The first is _to destroy it with your
own constructive argument_. The second is _to show that his argument,
even though it is not destroyed by yours, is faulty in itself, and
therefore useless_.

Although only one of them is labeled "Refutation" in the model brief
in the sixth lesson, both types are illustrated there.

There the negative, believing that the first argument of the
affirmative would be, "Inter contests are open to abuse," makes its
first point a counter-assertion. It uses as the first issue: "Contests
between the high schools of northern Illinois are not subject to such
abuses as will warrant their abolition." Which side would gain this
point in the minds of the judges would depend on which side supported
its assertion with the better evidence.

If one side wished to raise this question again in the refutation
speeches, which close the debate, it could do no better than to repeat
and re-emphasize the same material which it used in its construction
argument.

The second method of refuting, i.e., showing an argument to be faulty,
is also illustrated in the brief in the sixth lesson. It is marked
"Refutation." This material was introduced because the negative felt
sure that the affirmative would attempt to use the experience of
Shortridge High School as evidence of the successful working of this
plan. It was shown to be faulty in that the experience of t