Climate engineering (CE) refers to large-scale technical interventions into the earth system that seek to offset the effects of anthropogenic GHG emissions. CE includes methods which shield the earth from incoming solar radiation (solar radiation management) and methods which take carbon out of the atmosphere (carbon dioxide removal).

In 2010, the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) commissioned six individual scoping studies on different aspects of CE. Eventually, these individual studies were to be integrated into a single, interdisciplinary assessment. Sebastian Cacean and myself have been charged with compiling a report on ethical aspects.

Our overall aim in writing the study was to provide value-free, neutral policy advice on ethical issues of CE. To achieve this goal, we’ve decided to carry out an analysis of the various (moral) arguments pro and con climate engineering methods. More specifically, we

• compiled a comprehensive commented bibliography of the CE discourse with a focus on ethical arguments (including scientific articles, policy statements, media reports, popular science books, etc.);
• we sketched the overall dialectical structure and the individual arguments with Argunet, which gave us a first argument map;
• we presented the preliminary argument map at project workshops to get feedback;
• and, finally, we revised our interpretation and reconstructed the arguments in detail (with Argunet).

An immediate result of this procedure was a comprehensive argument map, visualized in the following poster high-resolution poster. (Technically, we’ve exported the Argunet map as a graphml file, post-edited the map with yEd, and exported it as a PDF, which was finally included in a Powerpoint poster.)

We’ve then used the CE argument map in the BMBF project

1. to compile the report “Ethical Aspects” (download);
2. to assist policy makers in acquiring a coherent position (by evaluating alternative core positions proponents and policy makers may adopt);
3. to merge the various disciplinary studies in a final assessment report (download).

Ad 1.): The scoping study on ethical aspects of climate engineering contains a macro map of the debate that structures the entire report. Each chapter is devoted to a sub-debate of the controversy. The chapters in turn feature micro maps that display the internal structure of the sub-debates and visualize the individual arguments plus their dialectic relations. The arguments are then discussed in detail in the chapter texts. Central arguments are reconstructed as premiss-conclusion structures.

Ad 2.) We’ve also used the argument map to assist stakeholders in acquiring a coherent position.

Thus, we’ve identified alternative core positions the ministry, or another stakeholder, may adopt. Such a core position might, e.g., consist in saying that CE should be researched into so as to have these methods ready for deployment in time. We’ve than visualized the core position in the argument map and calculated the logico-argumentative implications of the corresponding stance. The map shows, accordingly, which arguments one is required to refute and which theses one is compelled to accept if one adopts the corresponding core position. By spelling out such implications we tried to enable stakeholders to take all arguments into account and to develop a well-considered position.

Ad 3.) The argument map proved also helpful in integrating the various discipline-specific studies into a single, interdisciplinary assessment report. So, the assessment report, too, starts with a macro map, which depicts the overall structure of the discourse, and lists the pivotal arguments. Most interestingly, though, all the empirical chapters of the assessment report (on physical and technical aspects, on sociological aspects, on governance aspects, etc.) consistently refer to the argument map and make explicit to which arguments the empirical discussion unfolded in the chapter is related. This allows one to trace back sophisticated empirical considerations to the general debate and hence to the key questions of the controversy.

In sum, we found that argument mapping techniques are very helpful in compiling assessment reports. Accordingly employed, the impact of argument mapping on societal discourse and policy deliberation clearly depends on whether the reports are actually read. So, one requirement that has been highlighted by this project is to develop ways for engaging recipients more actively with an argument analysis, e.g. through talks, videos or an interactive website. Other posts summarize our experience with such active involvement.

The post Mapping the Climate Engineering Controversy: A Case of Argument-Analysis Driven Policy Advice appeared first on Argunet.

Relaunch

We decided to simplify things: one page for the editor, one for our upcoming browser widget and one for our new blog. This will make it easier for you to find what you are looking for. And it will make it easier for us to maintain the site. Did I say “new blog”?

Yes, a brand-new blog!

While we were busy deploying Argunet in exciting new projects and trying out unreleased cool features, this site lay dormant for years. With this new blog we want to change that. Next week we will begin to post regularly about everything related to Argunet, argument maps and argumentation theory in general. So watch out for new posts!

Fine, but where are my argument maps?

Now to the bad news: We will no longer support publishing argument maps on our site. First of all, this was never a feature that was really used that much by our users. And secondly it made it hart to update and change this site according to our needs (one of the reasons we didn’t do it for years).

Don’t be mad at us. We didn’t delete your debates on the Argunet server. You can edit, download or export them with Argunet Editor. And we still want to help you publishing your own argument maps on the web. We only think there are much better ways to do this…

Announcing Argunet Browser

Wouldn’t it be nice if it were as easy to embed your argument maps into your own webpage as it is with a youtube video? We thought so as well. In the last months we worked hard on a first version of an Argunet Browser widget that you can use wherever you want. It will only take three steps: 1) Export your argument map from Argunet Editor into an xml file, 2) upload the file to your webspace and 3) embed Argunet Browser in your page. That’s it.

So, where is it? It’s practically ready to be released. Just wait for a week or two… (or take a peak at a first screenshot.)

Release of Argunet Editor 2.0

And there are even more good news: Argunet Editor has gotten a facelift as well! And it looks not only better than ever, it comes with some handy new features as well! Download Argunet 2.0 now.

Features

• Argunet files: Local debates are now managed via local argunet files (.arg). You can now backup, copy and share debates as easily as other files (you can even share them via Dropbox).
• Compatibility: Old debates will be imported the first time you start Argunet 2.0. Please note that the server has been updated and is now incompatible with older versions of Argunet. If you want to work online, please update your client!
• Restore: If Argunet should crash during your work, it will restore your debates on restart.
• Automatic Layout: Argunet has now a build in layouter (ColumnBasedLayouter) which automatically layouts argument maps. For even better layout results we recommend that you also install the new YFiles Layouter plugin. Because Argunet is open-source and the layout plugin is based on proprietary code, Argunet cannot come shipped with it. But if you don’t want to miss out on Argunet’s coolest new feature, you should really check it out.
• Plugins: It is possible to install Argunet-Plugins. Currently the followings plugins are available:
  • YFiles Hierarchical Graphlayouter: An advanced layouter to automatically layout an argument-map.
  • Argunet Graphexporter: This plugin enables you to export an argument map into different file-formats (such as pdf, jpg, svg and graphml). Using the graphml-format argument-maps can now be edited in other graph-editings tools, such as yEd Graph Editor or embeded into webpages via the Argunet-Browser.

Fixes

• Copying of colors and groups between debates.
• Key-binding bugs.

Known Issues

• If you use the new layout algorithms they will insert bended arrows into your map. Currently, it is not possible to edit bendpoints or copy and paste them between argument-maps in a debate or between different debates. Instead, just klick again on “layout” after changing your map.

That’s it for now. Please let us know what you think of our rebirth.

The post Relaunch & Release: Argunet 2.0 appeared first on Argunet.

The label-feature allows you to mark the debates with some keywords relevant to your work and to filter the debates by the keywords you have introduced, thus saving you time and unneeded scrolling.

The post Argunet 1.2.0 released appeared first on Argunet.

•  fastens Client-Server communication. Specifically, argument maps are only updated if they have been changed on the server. This fixes the issue that you could hardly work on huge maps online.
• improves the inplace editor for arguments and theses.
• adds context menu options: “Insert conclusion into map”, “Insert premisses into map”
• adds context menus everywhere
• eliminates group-blinking.

The post Argunet 1.0.1 released appeared first on Argunet.

The post Argunet Server up again appeared first on Argunet.

Until then, you can use all features of Argunet locally and offline. If the server is running again, you will be able to upload your argument maps to an online debate. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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With this release the Argunet development has not come to an end. We already have many ideas for new features, a new task list and even some money for development. Parallel to this, we work on our new homepage, so expect to see something new here very soon…

With Argunet 1.0.0, four extensive tutorials are included in the program’s help, which teach you everything you need to know about argument mapping with Argunet. You will reconstruct a small debate about software patents. You can take a look at the final state of this example debate at the Argunet Server of the FU Berlin. Just login and open the debate “Software Patents” with the reader password “reader”. The last tutorial will show you how to do this. You can copy the arguments from this debate into your own debate to modify or extend them.

We hope that this will help new users to get started. We are planning to create screencasts and upload more example debates to make Argunet even more accessible. If you need more help, please post your question on the Argunet mailing list!

Release Notes:

Fixed:

• All known bugs

New Features:

• Argunet Help: Argument Mapping with Argunet. Four Tutorials in English and German
• E-mail notification: Debate editors are now notified by mail, if someone is applying for a role and users are notified if their debate role has been changed by an debate editor.
• Personal information: You can now change your personal information for your Argunet Server user account and retrieve passwords
• A lot of smaller usability improvements (Warning dialogues, tool tips, …)

Known Issues:

• So far sketched attack and support arrows cannot be copied between debates. This is not bug, it just has not been implemented yet, but has top priority on our task list.
• Some of the old debates on the Argunet Server are not working anymore, because of changes in the new version. If this is the case with one of your online debates, please contact us by mail. Most probably, we can help you!

The post Out of Beta: Argunet 1.0.0 released! appeared first on Argunet.

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The server has also been updated and is now incompatible with older versions of Argunet. If you want to work online, please update your client!

Features:

• Argument editor undo/redo: As long as you edit your argument, you can always undo and redo your last changes. This feature is restricted to the argument editor, because of the optionally distributed structure of Argunet. You cannot undo changes, that possibly are already used by other users, to avoid confusion and errors.
• Recently used debates: Open your recently used debates directly from the “File” menu.
• New alignment tools
• Delete debates
• Interface optimization: We have optimized Argunet’s usability in many respects.

Fixes:

• Nearly all serious known bugs (for exceptions see below).

Known Issues

• On OSX it is currently not possible to create new debates locally. We have already identified the cause and will fix this in the next days.
• In some cases, it is not possible to save edited arguments. This is our last serious bug and we will try to chase it down in the next days.

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