Have you ever wondered what fiat means in debate? 

Is it even an English word?

Keep reading to find out!

Our story starts with two debaters, in an imaginary world...

Tyler, let's debate about dogs and cats!

Sure! Personally, I think dogs are better than cats.

Tyler talks about why he likes dogs more than cats and tries to explain his reasoning to Kate...

Well I think that cats are better! Why should I get a dog instead?

If you had a dog, it would protect you in the face of danger, you wouldn't need a litter box, and dogs will always run around with you and have fun!

When someone explains their ideas and what they think should happen in the world, they do it in the form of a plan.

*Plan - Tyler wants to convince Kate that having a dog is better than having a cat. In other words, the animal Kate should get is a dog. 

*Affirmative - Tyler is advocating for his plan.

*Negative - Kate doesn't agree with Tyler because she wants a cat. She explains her reasons why a cat is a better option.

Tyler explains "fiat" and what it means in the debate...

Why should we assume that I have a dog? That doesn't make sense to me. If I don't agree with you and my parents won't let me have a dog, why can we assume that?

Well, Kate, this assumption is what we call fiat. In latin, it means "let it be done". To explain my reasoning to you, I have to assume that my plan happens in the real world. 

In debate, we evaluate the impact of the plan in the real world.

Impact: If Kate adopts a dog, how will this change her life? Who is affected by this decision?

Examples:

*Anyone who lives in Kate's house will be affected - her sister, parents, and anyone who visits.

*The living area will be affected - dogs tend to shed a lot and there might be a lot of hair on the couches.  

Tyler talks about why he likes dogs more than cats and tries to explain his reasoning to Kate...

It's very unlikely that we even get a dog because my sister is allergic! How can you even argue if the possibility of your "plan" happening is very low?

If we kept on arguing over the possibility that you get a dog, we would have a never ending conversation! In order to have an efficient debate, we must implement fiat so that I can present my reasons and you can explain yours!

Instead of using up debate time to argue whether or not the plan would be accepted, we presume that an affirmative ballot will result in the enactment of the plan in the real world.

*Ballot - In the debate, there is a judge which decides which team more effectively conveyed their arguments and evidence.

*The judge votes for either an affirmative ballot or negative ballot. 

Fiat makes debate more educational about the specific topic. Without this basic assumption, the affirmative and negative would go on about probability of implementation and other theoretical arguments.