Big Questions Debate Topics

Big Questions is NSDA's philosophy-of-everything format. One resolution per year. Topics span science, religion, consciousness, free will, and ethics. The format is one-on-one with no judge paradigms — you have to make the philosophy accessible.

The format

BQ is unique in that you debate both sides over the course of a tournament. Speeches are short (5/4/3/3 minutes) and the language has to stay clear — your opponent could be a coach, a parent, or a former judge from any other format. No jargon, no spreading, no theory.

Aff (physicalism) framings

• Functionalism. Mental states are defined by their causal roles — input, internal state, output. If you can replicate the function, you've replicated the mental state. Lewis, Putnam, Dennett.
• Eliminative materialism. Folk-psychology categories like "belief" and "desire" don't carve nature at the joints. Future neuroscience will replace them with physical predicates. Churchland.
• Identity theory. Mental states ARE brain states, full stop. Pain just is C-fiber firing. Smart, Place.
• Higher-order theory. Consciousness is what happens when a brain represents its own representations. Rosenthal.

Neg (anti-physicalism) framings

• The hard problem. Chalmers — physical processes explain function but not phenomenal experience. Why is there something it is like to be a brain in pain?
• Mary's Room. Jackson — Mary the color scientist knows every physical fact about red but learns something new when she sees red. Therefore not all facts are physical.
• Zombies. Conceivability of philosophical zombies (functional duplicates without consciousness) shows phenomenal properties are non-physical.
• Property dualism. Mental properties supervene on physical properties but aren't reducible to them.

Past Big Questions topics

Big Questions FAQ

What is Big Questions debate?

Big Questions (BQ) is the NSDA's philosophy-of-everything format. One resolution per year, focused on questions of science, religion, consciousness, free will, and ethics. The format is one-on-one. Each debater argues both sides over the course of a tournament. No jargon, no spreading, no kritiks: the philosophy has to stay accessible to lay judges.

How long does the BQ topic last?

A full competitive season. The NSDA announces one BQ resolution per year, typically in late summer, and it runs September through nationals in June. The same resolution at every tournament means debaters get deep on both sides of the question and the literature behind it.

How long are BQ speeches?

Constructive: 5 minutes. Rebuttal: 4 minutes. Consolidation: 3 minutes. Summary: 3 minutes. Two cross-examination periods of 3 minutes each. The short speeches force concision and clarity. The format does not allow new arguments in consolidation or summary.

Is BQ philosophy-only?

Mostly. Topics center on philosophical questions (the existence of God, the nature of consciousness, free will, objective morality), but strong debaters pull in empirical evidence where it bears on the question: neuroscience for consciousness, evolutionary biology for moral realism, fundamental physics for free will. The argument has to remain accessible to a non-specialist judge.

How is BQ different from LD?

BQ topics are positive (questions about what is true) rather than normative (questions about what ought to be done). LD turns on value-criterion frameworks; BQ does not. BQ topics are annual; LD topics rotate every two months. BQ disallows kritiks and theory; circuit LD welcomes them. BQ rewards clear synthesis of philosophical and empirical evidence in plain English.

Are kritiks allowed in Big Questions?

No. BQ explicitly rejects kritiks, theory shells, and meta-debate tactics. The format is designed to keep the debate accessible to lay judges and to keep the focus on the underlying philosophical question. Debaters who try to import circuit-LD tactics typically get penalized on speaker points and on the ballot.

What is the format of a BQ round?

One-on-one. Constructive (5 min) lays out the case. Cross-examination (3 min) follows. Rebuttal (4 min) attacks the opponent's case and defends your own. Second cross-examination (3 min). Consolidation (3 min) collapses to your strongest arguments. Summary (3 min) weighs and writes the ballot. Both speakers debate one side, then switch sides between rounds across a tournament.

What is the current Big Questions topic?

Resolved: Consciousness can be fully explained by physical processes. The 2026-27 NSDA Big Questions resolution. Aff (physicalism) argues mental states are reducible to brain states or functional patterns; Neg (anti-physicalism) argues phenomenal experience and qualia resist physical explanation. Past resolutions covered free will, moral realism, the existence of objective truth, and the value of self-interest.