new tool - searching for example

[Csillag Kristóf <csillag@sztaki.hu>]

Hi there!

As my master's thesis, I am developing a new Argument Mapping tool.

(
"Argument mapping" is a method, that aims to make handling complicated
arguments and debates easier and more efficient (or at all possible,
above a certain difficulty level).
      * The essence of the method is that the messages are decomposed to
        their elemental components, and the system of logical
        connections is mapped between these elements. (The messages can
        be arguments, the trains of thought, or (in case of more that
        one participants) the debate, the arguments of parties, and
        their answers given to each other's arguments.)
      * Once the material stored in this sensible system, numerous
        interesting operations can be performed, e.g. it becomes
        possible to visualize the stucture of arguments, to analyze the
        structures (within a certain compass, automatically) by
        computers, or, in case of diverging opinions, to conflict the
        theories in a much more focused way than it's usual.
      * Using these possibilities, understanding and presenting issues
        can be made considerably easier. With this, our ability to find
        out the truth can be increased, so we may improve the efficiency
        of the decision-making process.
)

Right now I am searching for some real-world example material to parse
with the new tool.

Since a large part of my motivation to do such thing (argument mapping)
came from reading through the ever growing, and hardly convertgent
threads of different disputes on some mailing lists, including
debian-legal, now this list came to my mind.

So.

I would like to ask you whether you can point me to a thread that I
should process.

An ideal thread for my example would look like this:
  - Revolts around one (or very few) basic decisions
  - Contains a lots of (intelligent) arguments and opinions.
  - Hard to overview if one reads the thread in a linear fashion
  - But still, if it's sorted out in a sensible manner, some
    kind of decision is possible, or at least we can see the Truth
    better then before.

Also, I would like to choose a thread which is interesting (for the
community on the list), and that you would like to see summarized via
Argument Mapping. (You can also suggest a current thread, too; I am
happy to help you with the current decisions.)

   * * * 

Please let me know what do you think of this.

   * * *

I would like to note that D-L is the first list I am coming to with this
request, because I have read many interesting debates here, and I feel
that this place has an exceptionally high concentration of intelligent
minds, and therefore the signal-to-noise ratio is way better here than
at other forums.

So I would be really glad if I could cooperate with you.

Thank you in advance, and looking forward hearing from you:

	Kristof Csillag

-- 
Csillag Kristóf <csillag@sztaki.hu>
MTA SZTAKI 
Department of Distributed Systems