The Theory of Dialectical Structures – Fundamentals, Applications, Outlook

The Theory of Dialectical Structures – Fundamentals, Applications, Outlook

Abstract

This talk gives a concise outline of the theory of dialectical structures with a special emphasis on applications and future implementation in computer programs. The theory of dialectical structures is an approach to reconstructing and analysing complex and controversial argumentation (Betz 2008; Betz forthcoming; Betz forthcoming). Debates are analysed as "bipolar argumentation frameworks" where attack‐ and support‐relations between the arguments are fully determined by the internal structure of the individual arguments plus the semantic relations which hold between the sentences these arguments are composed of. The basic concept any evaluation of a dialectical structure relies on is the notion of a (dialectically) coherent position a proponent can reasonably adopt in a debate. Building on that notion, the concepts of dialectic entailment and degree of justification, as well as the corresponding discursive aims such as fulfilling a burden of proof or increasing the robustness of one's position can be introduced. With the help of the argument‐mapping software Argunet (www.argunet.org), the theory of dialectical structures can be applied to already reconstructed debates, including, among others, parts of Plato's Parmenides, Descartes' Meditations, Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Larry Laudan's Science and Relativism. As a next step, I'm planning to implement the evaluation algorithms in a software library which can be integrated with Argunet and, more importantly, will allow one to design computer simulations which imitate real debates and evaluate them automatically.