Paradigm

Victor Wildman
AW Dreyfoos School of the Arts

My name is Victor Wildman. I hold advanced degrees in both writing and philosophy and have intermediate experience as an LD judge. Firstly, I prioritize maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for my debaters; if there are any extenuating circumstances (i.e. speech impediments etc.) or you would like to clarify your pronouns please approach me before the round begins.


I do not appreciate the use of “spreading” or “speed reading” during a debate round. I find that spreading makes genuine engagement with one’s opponent very difficult. I like to see opponents carefully listening to one another’s arguments, something spreading makes practically impossible, and responding thoughtfully to what they have heard with their own well-reasoned and articulated arguments. I ask that you maintain a conversational speed during the round. If you insist upon spreading please share your case with both myself and your opponent out of etiquette and proceed at your own risk.


I enjoy many cases such as philosophical cases to more conventional and policy oriented cases, but note that delivery will be a factor as will quality. I am alright with judging Kritics but please bear in mind that they must have some degree of topicality to the resolution or what your opponent has said, they must also follow logically. I am not a fan of tricks but will allow them when they are not concealed in a sub-point of an argument, and they must be interactable.


I typically flow the entire round including cross-examination, I also judge mainly on quality of argumentation and skill of interaction. If there is a dispute over evidence (i.e. mis-cut cards etc.) I will ask you to adduce your evidence at the end of the round, and please also follow evidence ethics as in not minimizing uncut text to an unreadable size. Also, a component of my judgment is how well you can manage arguments, so defaulting to ad hominem attacks will not score you any points as it ignores the content of your opponent’s arguments.


Most importantly, have fun debating.