Cap K

The capitalism critique argues that capitalist social relations are the root cause of the harms at stake in the round. The central claim is that any advocacy which leaves those relations intact cannot solve at the structural level, even if it succeeds on its own narrow terms.

A well-run Cap K has four components. The framework establishes why the judge should evaluate structural critique over policy impact. The link connects the affirmative’s specific mechanism to capitalist logic (commodification, market reliance, private-sector dependence). The impact identifies the downstream harm produced by that mechanism (alienation, immiseration, ecological destruction). The alternative offers a path that breaks from capitalist framing rather than operating within it.

See the full Cap K curriculum article for a detailed breakdown of each component, common affirmative answers, and theory considerations.