What is a fulcrum of the debate?

Answer 1

For my money the fulcrum of a debate is the essential valued principal or desired outcome of the debate. It's the main underlying reason why both sides claim superiority in their arguments.

Ideally the fulcrum is the central point or common ground that both sides agree is crucial and that both lay claim to with their arguments. Take the war in Iraq. The fulcrum here would likely be an outcome - be it victory or withdrawal - that is in the best interests of all parties concerned: the U.S., the Middle East and especially the Iraqi people.

Sometimes there is no fulcrum. In the debate on Iraq, for instance, a right winger might openly relegate the interests of the Iraqi people to the need for the U.S. to develop a strong presence in the Mideast and advance its interests worldwide. And a left winger might argue that the U.S has no business in Iraq, that the war is a strategic blunder and a waste of taxpayer dollars and American lives. In this situation, the fate of the Iraqi people is secondary to rival conceptions of the national interest. There is no fulcrum.

So how might you win this debate? You could try to establish a true fulcrum by pointing out that both sides, right and left, ignore the interests of the people we've invaded and by saying that no democracy worthy of the name can maintain its standing in the community of nations by doing so. This sounds good, but what if the costs of doing right by the Iraqi people are too high - or the possibility of improving their lives is too low?