Introduction to the Congress of Policy Debate     In our efforts to understand events and issues, we either laboriously assemble facts and contrast viewpoints ourselves, study trusted sources, or surrender to the influence of mass media. Even trusted sources may become echo chambers, forcing those with time and patience to explore many unsatisfactory sources to understand opposing views. The result is deficiency in public information and factions that cannot communicate.      Throughout history populations have divided into groups whose views are expressed in unrelated concepts, whose members hear only the tribal narratives of leaders, and often fear social or economic losses if they explore opposing views, even in search of reconciliation and common benefit.     Every thoughtful citizen needs a very reliable source of textual debates of all issues, with all viewpoints well stated and challenged, without winners or conclusions, keeping citizens informed of facts and viewpoints to improve public understanding and government policymaking.     Complex policies must be broadly debated by experts without distorted fact or emotionalism, representing and challenging all viewpoints, fearlessly exploring unpopular or inconvenient views, so that policy decisions do not proceed from carelessness, faction loyalties, or limited considerations.       The final judgment of history upon our policy decisions shall be not only of our motives and energy, but also a judgment of our imagination and willingness to explore the alternatives which eventually become obvious. History will judge that policy exploration by broad debate reduces policy disasters.     The Congress is structured to prevent improper influence, infiltration, or takeovers by ideologues, as well as government and economic influences that might affect available viewpoints or debate terms, direction, and conclusions. Impartiality is achieved by debate procedure controls, administration checks and balances, disclosures, and internal review. These are problems throughout democratic government, and the Congress is intended to serve as a model for democratic reform. The Congress is divided into several layers:     College of Policy Debate       Hosts the debates and specialized discussion groups     University of Policy Debate   Hosts the Diversity of Experts discussion groups     Institute of Policy Debate      Hosts discussion groups and education for advanced members     Center of Policy Debate         Hosts discussion groups and education for members     Forum of Policy Debate         Hosts dramatized in-person versions of the debates     Athenaeum of Policy Debate      Maintains online debate records and related materials     Symposium of Policy Debate     Hosts the discussions and viewpoint groups Each division is engaged in all activities of the Congress.  All persons are welcome to become members. Members participate to learn, not to teach or lead, and must learn self-discipline to respect and explore all other viewpoints, and the rules of diplomatic interaction, to continue in good standing. Future operations will be conducted in multiple languages.  A very readable introduction to the Congress Of Policy Debate, which presents the details of its purposes, structure, operations, and administration.   The need for the Congress is shown by sketching past failures of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to consider and debate the viewpoints that would have prevented disasters, and by strong arguments of the voices of reason that public policy debate is the best solution.   This is a very compact and persuasive prescription for reform of policy making institutions, offering a peaceful and rational solution to the most difficult national and international issues.   The complete work The Congress Of Policy Debate may be downloaded by clicking DOWNLOAD.   DOWNLOAD   This PDF version is in 8.5x11 format and may be printed, copied, and distributed in its entirety. This work is copyrighted and may not be modified, but brief quotations are permitted. Congress of Policy Debate The Congress of Policy Debate has gained broad approval as a means to improve policymaking, by providing a reliable single source of debates of all viewpoints on all issues, and their supporting facts. We are implementing a large internet system of procedures and interactions based upon routers, servers, and mass storage.  Your donations are especially important now, to hasten opening of the Congress . Please help us improve public information. Thank you! Debate Layer - College of Policy Debate The Debate Layer plans and conducts each debate process, in which groups of experts representing a viewpoint may submit statements, source materials, questions, requests, and challenges to those of opposing viewpoints, with moderators in the source and destination group of each exchange. Moderators ensure that each statement contains no insult or ad hominem argument, and is not vague or expressed in private terminology, but is reasonably clear, based upon evidence, and logically argued. Debates are held when the issues are felt to be necessary and well enough understood that debate will produce better understandings, without need for consensus. Side issues may arise requiring further debate, upon which the main issue may depend, and debates may be tabled, new debates planned, position representatives changed, and new viewpoints introduced. Debate evaluations permit commentary from debate teams to evaluate the quality of representation by members of the same or adverse teams. Similar processes permit evaluation of external debates, to compile proposed initial ratings of new members, and ratings of external debate organizations. Debate administrators participate in the debate summary process, and in planning new debates, and tabling or resuming debates, as well as handling moderation issues, and evaluating position representatives. Specialized Discussion Layer - College of Policy Debate The process of debate preparation in each policy problem area includes the discussion of concepts and potential viewpoints, presentation and criticism of viewpoints, in a manner free of the formalities and evidence demands of formal debate. During such discussion experts may study and reflect upon related and opposing views, consider the weaknesses of their views, perhaps changing viewpoints, and decide which views they consider most valid.  Groups favoring a viewpoint may form to conduct their own discussions and debate the issues more abstractly than in formal debate.They may also evaluate each other’s ability to represent a viewpoint, and decide which viewpoints they wish to represent. Diversity of Experts Layer - University of Policy Debate To bring the assembled knowledge of humanity to bear upon each policy problem area, and inform the discussion and debate of experts, a great diversity of concepts and viewpoints must be considered by experts during some part of their days, including areas and concepts quite far from the principal matters under their consideration, in which they prepare for and conduct debate. Because human thought involving analogies and inspirations far from a subject area may be most relevant, and may inspire and even structure new concepts and methods, there is a layer of interactions, inspiration, and high-level reflection far from the specialized discussions that precede debate. This is the society of intelligent discussion in which specialists may start their day to meditate and direct their specialized thoughts, or retreat in the evening to measure their progress in specialized pursuits and reassess their directions and conclusions. The Diversity of Experts Layer is a large set of forums of textual comment, in which intelligent and knowledgeable persons far from the debate area may offer observations and criticism from their own thoughts and experience, and choose the comments to which they will respond. The primary purpose is inspiration and cross-fertilization from a broad range of knowledge, rather than education of those further from the particular debate area. In responding to viewpoints, suggestions, analogies, reminders, and criticisms, the experts in the debate area must reconsider the foundations of their views, alternative representations of the problems, and potentially relevant but distant considerations that may not otherwise emerge in specialized debate preparations. Educational Layer - Institute of Policy Debate The Institute of Policy Debate provides educational services to all who wish to become Advanced Members. The Institute conducts virtual classes, seminars, conferences, workshops, retreats, camps and field trips concerning public policy issues. It provides educational information, training materials, instruction,and tests on the factual basis and viewpoints of public policy. The Institute also organizes and conducts in-person debates on public policy issues which may hold the attention of a broader audience than textual debates. Public Access and Comment Layer - Center of Policy Debate The Center of Policy Debate provides public access to the debate summaries and source materials of the College, not only for study and reflection, but also for moderated public comments and discussion, so that those learning may compare and criticize observations to sharpen their thinking. Upon passage of tests of more advanced knowledge and constructive interaction, members may become Advanced Members and may participate in advanced discussions. Dramatized In-Person Debate Layer - Forum of Policy Debate The Forum of Policy Debate conducts the dramatized debates of the Public Access Layer, to interest the broadest segment of the public in the issues, and introduce them to the public discussions of the Center, and the debate summaries of the College. Library and Archives Layer - Athenaeum of Policy Debate The Athenaeum of Policy Debate is the library and archives of the Congress of Policy Debate, an on-line resource of research reports, analyses, and debate summaries, as well as the archives of expert discussions in the areas of debate. The Athenaeum provides online public access to all of these resources, with convenient links to evidence and related debates for further study. Discussion Implementation Layer - Symposium of Policy Debate The Symposium of Policy Debate is the means of implementation and administration of the many discussion groups of the Congress of Policy Debate. The discussion groups include public discussion groups of the Center and the Institute, and the expert discussion groups of the University and the College, concerning debates and specific issues thereof, as well as the viewpoint groups and debate viewpoint groups of the College, both preliminary discussions for each debate, and those discussions that are part of each debate. The Congress and its divisions have a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, and all other ascriptive characteristics, in all actions and statements, and welcome diversity as necessary, proper, and productive in seeking truth and justice for all.