Planning Persuasive Argument

Argument represents an opportunity for a system to convince a possibly sceptical or resistant audience of the veracity of its own beliefs. This ability is a vital component of rich communication, facilitating explanation, instruction, cooperation and conflict resolution. In this paper, a proposal is presented for the architecture of a system capable of constructing arguments which comprise not only logical structure but also the rhetoric which makes that structure persuasive. The design of the architecture has made use of the wealth of naturally occurring argument, which, unlike much natural language, is particularly suited to analysis due to its clear aims and structure. The proposed framework is based upon a core hierarchical planner conceptually split into four levels of processing, the highest being responsible for abstract, intentional and pragmatic guidance, and the lowest handling realisation into natural language. The higher levels will have control over both the logical form of the argument, and over matters of style and rhetoric, in order to produce as cogent and convincing an argument as possible.