I suggest you have a look at http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikibate I particularily think you should read the Format subheading, to which I contributed the following (which I think is similar to your idea):
- A general idea of what the debate is about would head the page, along with necessary background info. At the end of this header, an assertion will be made and this is what the debate is about. - The Background of the debate need only be a sentance or two long, anything longer and the debate header itself will be contested. - Two sided debates would be split into two columns. - The left column would have the original assertion that starts off the debate, along with a few seed assertions on each side. - If you had something to add to one side or the other, you would click a button to add an assertion(for lack of better word; this could instead be a peice of evidence, past history, an analogy to help explain the argument, etc). - If an argument is in responce to another, instead of clicking add an assertion, you would click on the argument that it is in responce to and have the options to - - Support the argument - Give a counter argument - This new argument would be then lined up with the one it is respopnding to so that the debate can be easily viewed and so each side can easily see both sides of every shred of evidence. - If you wanted to contest the validity of someone elses assertion you would click on contest and add your argument in repeal to the other. - This in turn would turn the contested argument into its own debate that can have its own sub assertions. - Throughout the process (through a method yet unkown to me, maybe voting?) every assertion would have a score that decided how much it actually supported one side or the other, if it adequatly countered any other assertions, etc.
I also suggest checking out OpenCyc (http://www.opencyc.org). It is a knowledge based AI with all kinds of assertions about real world things. This might be usable as a backend when forming arguments. You could make assertions to the AI when adding to the debate, the AI could then use them to check the validity of other assertions made in the current or even other debates. I definately thinking rating system should be added so that specific arguments can carry more weight over others.
/Nathan Spaeth
-- If you have a penny and I have a penny, and we exchange pennies, we both have one penny but if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange ideas, then, we will both have two ideas.