4. Sketching dialectical relations
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4. Sketching dialectical relations

In Argunet argument maps there are two dialectical relations between arguments and sentences, attack and support. An attack is sketched with a red dashed arrow, support with a green dashed arrow.

4.1.  Sketching an attack on a sentence

  1. Pressing the left mouse button, drag an arrow from the argument to the central thesis. When the mouse button is released, four buttons appear, which can be used to define the relation between the argument and the central thesis.

    Figure 2.6. Choosing the logical relation

    Choosing the logical relation

  2. Click the Sketched Attack Arrow button .

Figure 2.7. A sketched attack

A sketched attack

4.2.  Sketching a support relation for a sentence

  1. Add an argument as described above, and enter the title "Intellectual property" and the short description "Companies should be allowed to protect their intellectual property."
  2. Pressing the left mouse button, drag an arrow from the argument to the central thesis.
  3. Click the Sketched Support Arrow button .

The inserted arguments can in turn be attacked by or supported by other arguments. To attack or support an argument with another argument, simply drag an arrow from one argument to the other, and continue as described above. Our argument map for the debate about software patents, presents itself as follows:

Figure 2.8. Argument map with a sketched attack and a sketched support

Argument map with a sketched attack and a sketched support

The reconstruction of the sample debate is continued in the next tutorial with the logical reconstruction of the arguments and their relations.

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3. Sketching arguments Home Chapter 3. The logical reconstruction