Understanding Burdens
Every BQ debater has a 'burden' — a specific thing they must prove to win — and understanding your burden precisely shapes every choice in your case. You will be able to state the Affirmative's burden of proof for any resolution.
Burden of Proof
The burden of proof is the obligation to provide sufficient reason for the judge to accept your side of the resolution; in BQ, the Affirmative generally must show the resolution is more likely true than not, using the preponderance-of-evidence standard common in most debate formats rather than a stricter 'beyond a reasonable doubt' standard.
Burden of Rejoinder
Beyond the initial burden of proof, each debater also carries a burden of rejoinder: the obligation to respond to the other side's arguments once they've been made, or risk having them counted as conceded. An unanswered argument, even a weak one, is treated by most judges as true for the rest of the round.
Resolution: 'Resolved: Objective moral truths exist.'
The Affirmative's burden of proof is to show it is more likely than not that objective moral truths exist, not to achieve mathematical certainty. When the Negative raises the argument from moral disagreement across cultures, the Affirmative's burden of rejoinder requires directly answering that specific argument in the next speech, rather than only re-asserting the original case.
1. In BQ, what standard of proof does the Affirmative generally need to meet?
Answer all 1 to check.
Know both your burden of proof (showing the resolution is more likely true) and your burden of rejoinder (answering every live argument against you).