A computational approach for argumentative discourse in multi-agent decision making environments

Authors: Karacapilidis N.¹; Papadias D.²

Source: Aicommunications, Volume 11, Number 1, 1998 , pp. 21-33(13)

Publisher: IOS Press

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Abstract:

This paper describes a Group Decision Support System for cooperative or non-cooperative argumentative discourses. The system provides agents means of expressing and weighing their individual arguments and preferences, in order to argue for or against the selection of a certain choice. It supports defeasible and qualitative reasoning in the presence of ill-structured information. Argumentation is performed through a set of discourse acts which call a variety of procedures for the propagation of information in the corresponding discussion graph. The system incorporates Case Based Reasoning to resolve current issues by using previous similar situations. Cases are not mere representations of past data, but flexible entities associated with the underlying viewpoint of an agent and the evolution of the corresponding discussion. The paper provides an object-oriented description of the elements involved, and illustrates their dependencies through a comprehensive example.

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Computer Science DI-LITH, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology EPFL, IN Ecublens, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland E-mail: Nikos.Karacapilidisdi.epfl.ch 2: Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clearwater Bay, Hong Kong E-mail: dimitriscs.ust.hk

Publication date: 1998-01-01