My first reaction reading this article was that this is indeed disturbing, but so was the format of debate I was exposed to in (turn of millennia) high school. The format basically embodies an idea that every opinion is equally valid, and what matters is how strong their advocates are.

Model UN, a close cousin, emphasized multipolar perspectives but in a context of research, creativity and cooperation.

I think the ethos of Debate is one of the drivers of today's polarization, long before Kritiks arrived.