Creating Arguments - A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create the Argument

To create an Argument, click the "Create Argument" option on the menu. Note that you must be logged into the Honest Argument site, or you will not even see the "Create Argument" option on the menu.

Step 2: Enter the Thesis

You will be presented with the "Create Argument" form where you will enter the information for the Argument Thesis. In this case we will argue that "Dogs are better pets than cats."

• Enter the Argument short description - this is what users see in the Argument Diagram. This should be a brief statement (256 characters or less) that provides the gist of the argument. Think of this as the headline of a newspaper article.
• Enter the Argument text - this is a deeper description of your thesis. This should include links to references, where appropriate. This is what the users see when they click on the argument node.
• Select the Argument Category - this is the primary classification of the Argument. After the Argument is approved by community vote, you will have the opportunity to add Tags to the argument

When you have entered all of your information, click the "Create Argument" button.

You are presented with the beginning of the Argument Diagram, so far containing just the Thesis node. Click on the Thesis node.

Here we see all of the relevant information for the Thesis node, as well as options to edit the node, or to add a node.

Step 3: Add the First Supporting or Refuting Assertion

Click the "Add node" link.

Here we see a screen very similar to the "Create Argument" screen in Step 1. We will use this screen to add a Supporting Assertion.

• Enter the Argument Node short description, similarly to what you did in Step 2
• Enter the Argument Node text, similarly to what you did in Step 2
• Select the Argument Node type - in this case a supporting node (Pro)

Click the "Create Argument Node" button to store the node information, and then click the "Return to argument" link as you did in Step 1.

We now see an Argument Tree Diagram with two nodes - the Thesis node and one Supporting Assertion node.

Step 4: Add the Remaining Assertions

Now we will add a Refuting Assertion. The only difference between what we do here, and what we did in Step 3 is that we select "Con" for the node type.

Again, click the "Create Argument Node" button, and then click on the "Return to argument" link.

Now we see an Argument Diagram with a Thesis and two child assertions - the Supporting Assertion from Step 3 and the Refuting Assertion from this step.

Now we will add a node to one of the child assertions.

• Click on the Assertion node in the Argument Diagram that we wish to add a child to. In this case, the refuting node
• Click on the "Add node" link
• Enter the node information, just as we did in step 2
• Click the "Create Argument Node" button
• Click the "Return to argument" link

We now see our newly created Assertion in the third column.

Step 5: Release the Argument to the Pending Arguments Queue

After we have finished adding Assertions, we click the "Release Argument to Pending Arguments queue" link. Now anyone can see the Argument when they click the "Pending Arguments" link on the menu.

Key Concepts

• Each Argument has one and only one Thesis
• Each node can address only one Assertion - its parent
• A child Assertion can either support or refute its parent Assertion
• Each node can have as many children as is necessary