Araucaria is an

argument mapping An argument map or argument diagram is a visual representation of the structure of an argument. An argument map typically includes all the key components of the argument, traditionally called the ''Logical consequence, conclusion'' and the ''prem ...

software tool developed in 2001 by Chris Reed and Glenn Rowe, in the Argumentation Research Group at the School of Computing in the

University of Dundee The University of Dundee is a public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a university college in 1881 with a donation from the prominent Baxter family of textile manufacturers. The institution was, for most of its ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It is designed to visually represent arguments through diagrams that can be used for analysis and stored in Argument Markup Language (AML), based on

XML Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing data. It defines a set of rules for encoding electronic document, documents in a format that is both human-readable and Machine-r ...

. As

free software Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...

, it is available under the

GNU General Public License The GNU General Public Licenses (GNU GPL or simply GPL) are a series of widely used free software licenses, or ''copyleft'' licenses, that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, or modify the software. The GPL was the first ...

and may be downloaded for free on the internet.

How it works

The user interface is composed of a main window (diagramming), a schemes editor and the AraucariaDB online interface. When a text file is loaded into the program, the text is displayed in the left-hand panel of the main window. Highlighting portions of text before clicking on the right (larger) panel creates corresponding nodes at the bottom of that panel. Nodes can then be paired together by dragging one (which will be the premise) to the other (the conclusion). To each node may be attached a value such as the ownership of the proposition, or an evaluation specifying the degree of confidence placed in premise. Similarly, symbols can be added to the arrows to state the strength of the inference. In addition, the user may link arguments, supply missing premises (argument reconstruction) and use refutations. The diagram will always take the form of a tree structure in Araucaria. The user has the choice of translating the argument into standard diagram, Toulmin diagram or Wigmore diagram, Araucaria 3.1 being the first software to integrate the latter

ontology Ontology is the philosophical study of existence, being. It is traditionally understood as the subdiscipline of metaphysics focused on the most general features of reality. As one of the most fundamental concepts, being encompasses all of realit ...

and to address the translation issues between the different diagrams. While Araucaria helps identify the structure of an argument, it provides freedom of analysis resources. The scheme editor allows the user to create

argumentation scheme In argumentation theory, an argumentation scheme or argument scheme is a template that represents a common type of argument used in ordinary conversation. Many different argumentation schemes have been identified. Each one has a name (for example, ...

s, group them together and save them into a scheme set file. The scheme set is then applied to the diagram, entirely or in part. As an illustration, an argument scheme relying on symptoms could be applied to the following assertion: "The light has gone off. Therefore, the bulb must be broken", with critical questions intended to determine if the result could stem from another reason (such as "have all the lights in the flat gone off?"). The AraucariaDB Online Repository can be browsed to retrieve specific arguments to fit a diagram. Alternatively, an argument diagram, along with annotations, can be saved into the database.

Technical details

Araucaria was developed in Java in order to be supported on most platforms. It is licensed under the

and complies with

standards. Argument Markup Language (AML) was created to maintain the evolving relationship between text and diagram. To this end, tags are added to the text and specify the connection between each component. AML is designed to be an application of

argumentation theory Argumentation theory is the interdisciplinary study of how conclusions can be supported or undermined by premises through logical reasoning. With historical origins in logic, dialectic, and rhetoric, argumentation theory includes the arts and scie ...

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

. Because it is based on

, a standard widely used by developers, AML content can be accessed through other software that support XML. Likewise, AML data is easily available online after using style sheets to create

HTML Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It defines the content and structure of web content. It is often assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets ( ...

web pages. Araucaria itself is conceived to be compatible with other tools. One example of integration is the argumentation software library Argkit. The online corpus provision is an extension of the Araucaria project. Further integration is planned with other applications currently under development.

Applications

The software is aimed at providing both a pedagogical tool (enhancing the teaching of

critical thinking Critical thinking is the process of analyzing available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to make sound conclusions or informed choices. It involves recognizing underlying assumptions, providing justifications for ideas and actions, ...

skills thanks to diagramming) and a support for research within the fields of

and

informal logic Informal logic encompasses the principles of logic and logical thought outside of a formal setting (characterized by the usage of particular statements). However, the precise definition of "informal logic" is a matter of some dispute. Ralph H. ...

. In addition, it fits professional purposes, as it reduces the time needed to process data. Among the choices of diagram available to the user, Wigmore charts were intended to be used for

legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

case analysis. Argument mapping tools are particularly suited to professionals and scholars in the legal field who have a considerable amount of arguments required to be processed in a consistent manner. Araucaria has been used by magistrates in Ontario Courts to help with a large volume of relatively simple cases. The advantages of using Araucaria in both learning and teaching philosophy was considered by the program's authors, along with other scholars, in a paper published in 2006. They emphasized how much easier it is to explain and summarize philosophers' theories when arguments are visualized in a diagram. A qualitative survey was carried out among students revealing positive results. Araucaria is similar to other pre-existing software in some of its applications. However, the authors' intention was to "fill a gap" in providing a tool able to "support both teaching and research in argumentation theory". As of mid-2009, Araucaria is deemed to have approximately 10,000 users, even though that is hard to assess with precision when it comes to software available for free on the internet.

IP address An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is assigned to a device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses serve two main functions: network interface i ...

logs show that the user base is very wide both on a geographical level (more than 40 countries) and on a sectoral level (range of domains including doctors, statisticians, lawyers and engineers).

Future developments

While Araucaria is arguably one of the most sophisticated diagramming software packages and enjoys an important user base, its interface and features may be viewed as outdated. According to Chris Reed, "a large-scale rewrite is underway, which provides

AIF AIF, A.I.F., AiF or aif may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Argumenty i Fakty'' (AiF), a Russian newspaper * Australians in Film (AiF), a Los Angeles-based organisation for the promotion of Australian actors and filmmakers * Aspen Ideas ...

support". It is unknown if this rewrite will be the occasion to turn Araucaria into an online and/or collaborative program. An online tool supporting AIF, albeit with less comprehensive features, was recently developed by Reed's research group (ARG:dundee). An

alpha version The software release life cycle is the process of developing, testing, and distributing a software product (e.g., an operating system). It typically consists of several stages, such as pre-alpha, alpha, beta, and release candidate, before the fi ...

of this Online Visualisation of Argument (OVA) is available. In addition, one of Reed's long-time projects had been to tackle the limitations of computer diagramming induced by natural language interpretation, and to add a dialogic argumentation structure to the software. From October 2009 to March 2013, a research program called "Dialectical Argumentation Machines" is attempted to make a first step towards this objective.

Notes

References

Araucaria: Software for Puzzles in Argument Diagramming and XML, Chris Reed & Glenn Rowe, 2001Araucaria: Software for Argument Analysis, Diagramming and Representation, Chris Reed and Glenn Rowe, 2004Argumentation methods for artificial intelligence in law, Douglas N. Walton, 2005Araucaria as a Tool for Diagramming Arguments in Teaching and Studying Philosophy, Glenn Rowe, Fabrizio Macagno, Chris Reed, Douglas Walton, 2006
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090105223449/http://tillers.net/reed%20diagramming%20trinity.pdf Wigmore, Toulmin & Walton, The Diagramming Trinity and their Application in Legal Practice, Chris Reed, 2007]
Witness Testimony Evidence: Argumentation and the Law, Douglas N. Walton, 2007Dialog theory for critical argumentation, Douglas N. Walton, 2007
*Computational Models of Argument: Proceedings of COMMA 2008, Philippe Besnard, Sylvie Doutre, Anthony Hunter
AI & Law on Legal Argument: Research Trends and Application Prospects, Henry Prakken, SCRIPTed, Volume 5, Issue 3, December 2008Knowledge Cartography: Software Tools and Mapping Techniques, Alexandra Okada, Simon J. Buckingham Shum, Tony Sherborne, 2008Bringing visual clarity to complex issues, Tim van Gelder, 2009
*Argumentation in Artificial Intelligence, Iyad Rahwan, Guillermo R. Simari (Editor), 2009
Argumentation scheme for case-based learning and collaborative argument diagramming online, J. Dowell, M. Tscholl, T. Gladisch, M. Asgari-Targhi, 2009Legal Ontologies Spin a Semantic Web, Dr. Adam Z. Wyner, 2009Improving critical thinking using web based argument mapping exercises with automated feedback, S.Butchart, D.Forster, I.Gold, J.Bigelow, K.Korb, G.Oppy, A.Serrenti, 2009

External links

AraucariaOVAARG:dundee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Araucaria (Software) Argument mapping Diagramming software