Computational Dialectics

The central task in practical problem solving is to identify and choose among alterative courses of action. Computer science has failed to provide adequate tools for supporting rational, effective and fair decision-making under the conditions which usually prevail. Especially, computer science has yet to develop models of rational decisionmaking in groups which adequately take into consideration resource limitations or conflicts of interest and opinion. This paper provides an informal overview of Zeno, a mediating system for supporting discussion, argumentation and decision-making in groups, which explicitly takes these considerations into account. Also, a new subfield of computer science is proposed, “computational dialectics”, whose subject matter is computational models of norms for rational discourse. Zeno is a contribution to this field, based on the thesis that rationality can best be understood as theory construction regulated by discourse norms. Now is the time to shift our view of computers from communications medium to negotiation medium, from knowledge processing to interest processing.