Argumentation within deductive reasoning

Abstract

Deductive reasoning is an area related to argumentation where machine-based techniques, notably theorem proving, can contribute substantially to the formation of arguments. However, making use of the functionality of theorem provers for this issue is associated with a number of difficulties and, as we will demonstrate, requires considerable effort for obtaining reasonable results. Aiming at the exploitation of machine-oriented reasoning for human-adequate argumentation in a broader sense, we present our model for producing proof presentations from machine-oriented inference structures. Capabilities of the model include adaptation to human-adequate degrees of granularity and explicitness in the underlying argumentation and interactive exploration of proofs. Enhancing capabilities in all these respects, even just those we have addressed so far, does not only improve the interactive use of theorem provers, but shows they are essential ingredients to support the functionality of dialog-oriented tutorial systems in formal domains. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 49–70, 2007.