Comet Cards De-extinction: Philosophy
Move from a philosopher's idea to an argument you can explain and defend. Comet Cards De-extinction: Philosophy offers eight high school Lincoln-Douglas cases for the resolution "Resolved: De-extinction is unethical," pairing philosophical material with de-extinction and conservation evidence.
The four affirmative cases draw on Jeremy Bentham, Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Henry S. Salt to examine animal welfare, the necessity of harmful methods, compassion, and respect for individual animals. The four negative cases draw on John Stuart Mill, John Dewey, Aristotle, and Ayn Rand to examine consequences, revisable inquiry, practical judgment, and the actual properties and effects of a proposed organism.
Each case includes:
- An explanation of its claim, reasoning, value, criterion, comparison, and limits.
- A prepared opening with marked READ and PREP material.
- Three ready-to-read responses to specific objections: 24 response modules in the packet.
- Cross-examination prompts, a rehearsal challenge, and later-speech practice.
- Selected read-aloud evidence with citations and preparation context beside its use.
Resolution-interpretation guidance, timing instructions, and a source directory support preparation. The packet emphasizes the reasoning that connects a source to a moral conclusion. The philosophers supply ideas for analysis, not endorsements of modern de-extinction; the Rand case uses a limited premise rather than claiming a complete animal-rights or conservation theory. Some sources recur across cases.
Interpretation note: The Dewey negative depends on a broader definition that includes organized recovery research. It is insufficient by itself if the round is restricted to completed recreation. Read each case's limits before choosing it.
Timing examples use 200 spoken words per minute: approximately six minutes for a 1,200-word affirmative opening and 3:45 for a 750-word negative case before responses. Actual delivery varies; rehearse and select responses that address the live round.
Download: CC_DeExt_Philosophy.zip contains the matching editable DOCX and 81-page PDF editions.
Independent educational material; no NSDA endorsement or promised competitive result. These are new companion cases, not a replacement for an earlier topic file.