The Roots of Computer Supported Argument Visualization

Abstract

The technique of diagramming arguments has been first used in a didactic text by the logician Whatley in 1850, and later employed by modern theorists of argumentation as Wigmore, Toulmin and Beardsley, to build their model of argument analysis. In recent times argument diagramming revealed to be of valuable support in various learning tasks, from collaborative problem-solving to individual analyses of reasoning patterns. Many software applications have been developed to facilitate the visualization of reasoning structures. This paper presents a taxonomy to steer through them teachers and researchers working in different “ill-defined domains”, in order to capitalize the opportunities they give.