This is a guide to many of the terms used within Arguments and Argument Diagrams.
- Active Argument
- An Argument that has been voted into public activity from the Pending Arguments queue
- Argument
- The collection of Assertions - including the Thesis - serving to prove or disprove that Thesis.
- Argument Administrator
- The person responsible for moderating a particular Argument. This is usually the person who created the Argument
- Argument Diagram
- The graphical representation of an Argument in a hierarchical set of Supporting and Refuting Assertions.
- Argument Moderator
- A registered user level endowed with the privileges of creating Arguments, as well as adding Assertions to Arguments created by others.
A Moderator is not the Argument Administrator, unless the Moderator created or has otherwise been assigned Argument Administrator status for the Argument in question.
- Argument Node
- The representation of an Assertion statement in an Argument Diagram.
Each line in the diagram above is an individual Node
- Argument Request
- A publicly posted request for the creation of an Argument, on a particular topic, by any Argument Moderator.
- Assertion
- A statement within an Argument that supports or refutes its parent.
- Assertion Node
- The representation of an Assertion in an Argument Diagram (same as Argument Node).
Each line in the diagram above is an individual Node
- Child Assertion
- An Assertion that directly supports or refutes any given Assertion.
- Child Node
- The representation within an Argument Diagram of a Child Assertion.
In the diagram above, Node 2 is a child of Node 1, as is Node 3. Similarly, Nodes 4 and 5 are children of Node 2, and Node 6 is a child of Node 3
- Children
- The set of Assertions that directly support or refute any given Assertion. The Children of any given Node are always immediately to the right and below the Node.
- Con Node
- A Refuting Assertion Node. In the diagram above, Nodes 4 and 3 are Con Nodes
- External Argument Diagram
- A version of an Argument Diagram that is embeddable on blogs or any other websites
- Moderator
- A registered user level endowed with the privileges of creating Arguments, as well as adding Assertions to Arguments created by others.
A Moderator is not the Argument Administator, unless the Moderator created or has otherwise been assigned Argument Administrator status for the Argument in question.
- Parent Assertion
- The Assertion that is supported or refuted by any given Assertion. All Assertions have a Parent, except for the Thesis (because the Argument has to start somewhere)
- Parent Node
- The representation within an Argument Diagram of a Parent Assertion. The Parent of any given Node is always immediately to the left and above the Node.
In the diagram above, Node 1 is the Parent of Nodes 2 and 3. Similarly, Node 2 is the Parent of Nodes 4 and 5, and Node 3 is the Parent of Node 6.
- Pending Argument
- An Argument that is being groomed and voted upon before assuming Active Argument status
- Pending Arguments Queue
- The temporary holding area for Arguments that are being groomed and voted upon before assuming Active Argument status
- Pro Node
- A Supporting Assertion Node.
In the diagram above, Nodes 2, 5 and 6 are Pro Nodes
- Refuting Assertion
- An Assertion that refutes its Parent Assertion
- Refuting Assertion Node
- The representation of a Refuting Assertion in an Argument Diagram.
In the diagram above, Nodes 4 and 3 are Refuting Assertion Nodes
- Supporting Assertion
- An Assertion that supports its Parent Assertion
- Supporting Assertion Node
- The representation of a Supporting Assertion in an Argument Diagram.
In the diagram above, Nodes 2, 5 and 6 are Supporting Assertion Nodes
- Thesis
- An Assertion that states the Argument in its simplest form. The basis of the Argument.
