Argumentation May 2013 Open Access

Medieval Disputationes de obligationibus as Formal Dialogue Systems

Sara L. Uckelman Tilburg University

Abstract

Formal dialogue systems model rule-based interaction between agents and as such have multiple applications in multi-agent systems and AI more generally. Their conceptual roots are in formal theories of natural argumentation, of which Hamblin’s formal systems of argumentation in Hamblin (Fallacies. Methuen, London, 1970, Theoria 37:130–135, 1971) are some of the earliest examples. Hamblin cites the medieval theory of obligationes as inspiration for his development of formal argumentation. In an obligatio, two agents, the Opponent and the Respondent, engage in an alternating-move dialogue, where the Respondent’s actions are governed by certain rules, and the goal of the dialogue is establishing the consistency of a proposition. We implement obligationes in the formal dialogue system framework of Prakken (Knowl Eng Rev 21(2):163–188, 2006) using Dynamic Epistemic Logic (van Ditmarsch et al. in Dynamic epistemic logic, Synthese Library Series. Springer, Berlin, 2007). The result is a new type of inter-agent dialogue, for consistency-checking, and analyzing obligationes in this way also sheds light on interpretational and historical questions concerning their use and purpose in medieval academia.

Journal
Argumentation
Published
2013-05-01
DOI
10.1007/s10503-012-9266-7
CompPile
Open Access
OA PDF Hybrid
Topics
argument
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (49)

  1. I. Angelelli (1970)
    Angelelli, I. 1970. Techniques of disputation in the history of logic. Journal of Philosophy 67(20): 800–815.
    Journal of Philosophy  ↗
  2. M. Baker (2000)
    Baker, M. 2000. The role and models in artificial intelligence and educational research: A prospective view. …
    International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education
  3. P. Boehner (1952)
    Medieval logic: An outline of its development from 1250 to c. 1400
  4. A. Bondarenko (1997)
    Bondarenko, A., P.M. Dung, R.A. Kowalski, and F. Toni. 1997. An abstract, argumentation-theoretic approach to…
    Artificial Intelligence  ↗
  5. H. Braakhuis (1998)
    Braakhuis, H. 1998. Obligations in early 13th century Paris: The obligationes of Nicholas of Paris (?). Vivar…
    Vivarium  ↗
Show all 49 →
  1. G. Brewka (2001)
    Brewka, G. 2001. Dynamic argument systems: A formal model of argumentation processes based on situation calcu…
    Journal of Logic and Computation  ↗
  2. Burley, W. 1963. Tractatus de obligationibus. In An introduction to the logical treatise ‘De Obligationibus’ …
  3. W. Burley (1988)
    Cambridge Translations of Medieval Philosophical Texts, vol. 1: Logic and the philosophy …
  4. Cogan, E., S. Parsons, and P. McBurney. 2005. What kind of argument are we going to have today? In Proceeding…
     ↗
  5. E. Cogan (2006)
    Argumentation in multi-agent systems, LNAI 4049
     ↗
  6. L.M. Rijk de (1974)
    de Rijk, L.M. 1974. Some thirteenth century tracts on the game of obligation. Vivarium 12(2): 94–123.
    Vivarium  ↗
  7. L.M. Rijk de (1975)
    de Rijk, L.M. 1975. Some thirteenth century tracts on the game of obligation II. Vivarium 13(1): 22–54.
    Vivarium  ↗
  8. L.M. Rijk de (1976)
    de Rijk, L.M. 1976. Some thirteenth century tracts on the game of obligation III. Vivarium 14(1): 26–49.
    Vivarium  ↗
  9. C. Dutilh Novaes (2007)
    Formalizing medieval logical theories: Suppositio, consequentiae and obligationes.Logic, …
     ↗
  10. D. Gabbay (2001)
    Gabbay, D., and J. Woods. 2001. Non-cooperation in dialogue logic. Synthese 127(1–2): 161–186.
    Synthese  ↗
  11. Girle, R.A. 1996. Commands in dialogue logic. In Practical reasoning: Proceedings of the First International …
     ↗
  12. C.L. Hamblin (1970)
    Fallacies
  13. C. Hamblin (1971)
    Hamblin, C. 1971. Mathematical models of dialogue. Theoria 37: 130–155.
    Theoria  ↗
  14. D. Harel (2002)
    Handbook of philosophical logic
  15. N.C. Karunatillake (2009)
    Karunatillake, N.C., N.R. Jennings, I. Rahwan, and P. McBurney. 2009. Dialogue games that agents play within …
    Artificial Intelligence  ↗
  16. P. King (1991)
    Thought experiments in science and philosophy
  17. King, P. 2004. Opposing and responding: Comments on Paul Spade. Preprint. http://individual.utoronto.ca/pking…
  18. Lorenzen, P., and K. Lorenz. 1978. Dialogische Logik. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
  19. Matheson, M., and A. Ravenscroft. 2001. Evaluating and investigating learning through collaborative argumenta…
  20. N. Maudet (2003)
    Maudet, N. 2003. Negotiating dialogue games. Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems 7: 229–233.
    Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems  ↗
  21. P. McBurney (2002)
    McBurney, P., and S. Parsons. 2002. Games that agents play: A formal framework for dialogues between autonomo…
    Journal of Logic, Language and Information  ↗
  22. P. McBurney (2009)
    Argumentation in artificial intelligence
     ↗
  23. McBurney, P., S. Parsons, and M. Wooldridge. 2002. Desiderata for agent argumentation protocols. In Proceedin…
  24. W. Ockham (1974)
    Opera Philosophica, vol I
  25. Parsons, S., M. Wooldridge, and L. Amgoud. 2002. An analysis of formal inter-agent dialogues. In Proceedings …
  26. Parsons, S., M. Wooldridge, and L. Amgoud. 2003a. On the outcomes of formal inter-agent dialogues. In Proceed…
     ↗
  27. S. Parsons (2003)
    Parsons, S., M. Wooldridge, and L. Amgoud. 2003b. Properties and complexity of some formal inter-agent dialog…
    Journal of Logic and Computation  ↗
  28. H. Prakken (2005)
    Prakken, H. 2005. Coherence and flexibility in dialogue games for argumentation. Journal of Logic and Computa…
    Journal of Logic and Computation  ↗
  29. H. Prakken (2006)
    Prakken, H. 2006. Formal systems for persuasion dialogue. Knowledge Engineering Review 21(2): 163–188.
    Knowledge Engineering Review  ↗
  30. A. Ravenscroft (2002)
    Ravenscroft, A., and M.P. Matheson. 2002. Developing and evaluating dialogue games for collaborative e-learni…
    Journal of Computer Assisted Learning  ↗
  31. Sklar, E., and S. Parsons. 2004. Toward the application of argumentation-based dialogues for education. In Pr…
  32. Spade, P.V. 2000. Why don’t medieval logicians ever tell us what they’re doing? Or, what is this, a conspirac…
  33. Spade, P.V. 2008. Medieval theories of obligationes. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, fall 2008 edn, e…
  34. Spade, P.V. 1993. Unpublished talk on obligationes presented at the Midwestern Division of the American Philo…
  35. Uckelman, S.L. 2011a. Deceit and indefeasible knowledge: The case of dubitatio. Journal of Applied Non-Classi…
     ↗
  36. Uckelman, S.L. 2011b. A dynamic epistemic logic approach to modeling obligationes. In LIRa Yearbook, Institut…
  37. Uckelman, S.L. 2011c. Obligationes as formal dialogue systems. In STAIRS 2010: Proceedings of the Fifth Start…
     ↗
  38. Uckelman, S.L. 2012. Interactive logic in the Middle Ages. Logic and Logical Philosophy (Forthcoming).
     ↗
  39. H. Ditmarsch van (2007)
    Dynamic epistemic logic. Synthese Library Series
     ↗
  40. D. Walton (2000)
    Walton, D. 2000. The place of dialogue theory in logic, computer science, and communication studies. Synthese…
    Synthese  ↗
  41. D.N. Walton (1995)
    Commitment in dialogue: Basic concepts of interpersonal reasoning
  42. Yrjönsuuri, M. 1993. The role of casus in some fourteenth century treatises on sophismata and obligations. In…
  43. Yrjönsuuri, M. 1994. Obligationes: 14th century logic of disputational duties, Acta Philosophica Fennica, vol…
  44. Yrjönsuuri, M. (ed.) 2001. Medieval formal logic. The Netherlands: Kluwer.
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Argumentation Apr 2026
    A Normative Pragmatic Inquiry into the Volatility of Norms in Argumentation ↗
    Sally Jackson
    discourse analysis argument qualitative research public rhetoric
  2. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Apr 2026
    Book Review: Environmental Preservation and the Grey Cliffs Conflict: Negotiating Common Narratives, Values, and Ethos PickeringK. (2024). Environmental Preservation and the Grey Cliffs Conflict: Negotiating Common Narratives, Values, and Ethos. Utah State University Press, 268 pp. ↗
    Mia Twomey
    argument book reviews
  3. Res Rhetorica Apr 2026
    Logos in ancient Greek discourse on rhetoric: An overview ↗
    Arkadiusz Sokolnicki
    classical rhetoric rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument
  4. Assessing Writing Apr 2026
    Associations of adolescents’ argumentative writing scores and growth when evaluated by different human raters and artificial intelligence models ↗
    Deborah K. Reed; Sterett Mercer
    argument artificial intelligence
  5. Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Apr 2026
    Psyche or Soma?: An Analysis of the Medical Debates Over the Diagnosis and Treatment of “Transsexualism” ↗
    Samantha Rippetoe
    rhetorical criticism argument archival research