Issuepedia:Wiki Issue Exploration Structure

Introduction

This page is intended to help define a structure that allows issues to be debated or argued within the wiki format, which offers a great opportunity to support a debate structure that is greatly improved over those usually found in email exchanges (including listservs) or spoken debates.

This is a growing seedling article. You can help Issuepedia by watering it.

Overview

Whats the best way to have a debate about an issue? Firstly don't have an argument, do an investigation! One can state an opinion/hypothesis and then provide facts that when taken together imply that result. Points must be emotionally neutral - be logical. Wiki's offer a great opportunity to debate in a structured format. Complex issues often lead to multiple different conclusions, having codification of two sides of an argument is not helpful.

Wikipedia offers a good way to evaluate certain events or facts. Due to NPOV, NOR and NOT, however, it is not a good medium for a exploration of the truth of certain arguments. Sometimes these debates are ad-hoc in the discussion pages. The fact that there is criticism of something may be listed without examining the validity of the criticism itself. Issuepedia wants no validity to go unexamined!

Structure

Exposition

• A neutral question of the issue to be explored; for example, "Can we provide a more structured debate using a Wiki?".

Statement of background with agreed points

• A timeline, for example, or a list of pros and cons.

Contentious points

• Succinct enumeration of points that are contentious (i.e. where we have knowledge of disagreement). Points should be somehow falsifiable; if not initially falsifiable as stated, then some reworking is called for.
• Debate on each point, using sources and argument on the sources; can be split off into separate pages if necessary
• Where any generalizations can be made (e.g. everyone agrees about some attribute a solution will have to have), put those into the background section.
• When debate on contentious points seems to have come to an end, we can decide if anything has been resolved (let's call this "reinforcement" or "negation" of a point, rather than "proof"). If point is reinforced, move into "conclusions" section. If disproved, move into "negated points".
• Action statements should be used to indicate outstanding action that can be taken to gather facts that will help verify or falsify these points (perhaps there should also be a "Needed" section, where all the loose ends can be listed together for any helpful research-inclined individuals?)

Conclusions

A conclusion/generalization drawn from weighting the issues above. Sub debate on the weighted values and the correctness of the conclusion. Some way of listing them in a "most likely" order would be good.

Negated points

Listing of points that have been significantly negated, i.e. objective observers agree that these points are (at best) not really supported by their arguments and evidence

References

• List of references, to support any claims of fact or judgment made in the exploration

Example Pages

Sample pages in which the Exploration Structure has been used:

• Clinton-Barak Israeli-Palestinian Peace offers

References

• Rhetoric and Composition/Argument
• Honest Argument Wiki Page
• Open Politics
• Discourse DB
• Overcoming bias
• Truth Mapping