A pluralist approach to argument diagramming

Abstract

There is a long history of argument diagramming mechanisms, attesting to the need for, and popularity of visualizations of reasoning patterns in general. Many of these approaches have given rise to software implementations that serve particular audiences with particular needs, leading to a plethora of such tools. Interesting research questions are posed when exploring the ground between these different approaches to diagramming, and these questions become operational challenges in the context of a research programme aimed at developing pluralist argument diagramming software-a single tool that supports multiple different theoretical approaches to the analysis of argument. The Araucaria system aims to meet such pluralist goals, by allowing analysis to be conducted in different styles and then providing for translation between them. In this way, a potential is opened up for interchange between different communities.