Chapter 1. Introduction
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Chapter 1. Introduction

Table of Contents

1. About this document
2. The basic structure of Argunet
2.1. The architecture of Argunet
2.2. Map-independent storage of sentences and arguments
2.3. Map-independent definition of sentence relations
3. Argument mapping vs. mind mapping

This document will introduce you to Argunet and its use. Argunet is a free, open-source, platform-independent software suite for collaborative argument reconstruction and visualization.

Argunet enables you to create argument maps of complex debates online or offline, on your own or in a team. All features of Argunet can be used online on an Argunet server as well as offline on your own computer.

1. About this document

The reconstruction process in Argunet is divided into two stages (which can alternate, of course).

The two-stage-reconstruction

  1. Stage 1: Sketching First, you identify the thesis which lies at the centre of the debate. You then identify the arguments that relate to this central thesis, followed by the arguments that relate to these arguments, etc. During this first stage you only summarize the main idea of each argument in a short description and roughly sketch the relations of support and attack between arguments and theses, or other arguments respectively.
  2. Stage 2: Logical reconstruction Having created the elements of the argument map in stage 1, you can now analyse the structure in detail and specify the sketched relations. In order to do this, you reconstruct the premiss-conclusion-structure of the arguments and link the sketched dialectical relations between arguments and theses to logical-semantic relations between sentences.

The order in which the tutorials are presented corresponds to these two phases. The first tutorial describes the features that are needed during the first stage of reconstruction (sketching). The second tutorial explains the use of Argunet in stage two of the reconstruction (logical reconstruction). The third tutorial presents visualization features with which to structure your reconstruction more clearly and make it more informative.

Up to this point, all features can be explored using local debates on your own computer. This changes with the fourth tutorial, where you will learn how to create an online debate and work with other users via the internet.

But to begin with, this document will introduce you to the basic structure of Argunet. If you want to start argument mapping immediately, you may skip this section. However, this section is essential in order to gain a deeper understanding of the software. At the end of this introduction, Argunet is compared with traditional mind mapping programmes. This section will only be of interest to you if you are wondering what the difference between Argunet and these programmes is.

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Preface Home 2. The basic structure of Argunet