SACM11 — Justification of Methods of Reasoning

How might and/or should the justification for an ArgumentReasoning element’s method(s) of argumentation be represented in SACM? Several options or possibilities exist. This justification might be a supplied by a Claim, a DescriptiveAssertion, or Assumption connected by an AssertedInference link or an AssertedConext link in turn potentionally supported by InformationElement, EvidenceElement, or Artifact. More generally justification for its method(s) of argumentation can be in the form of an assurance case. On the other hand might it be supplied by an AssertedContextLink to an Artifact or even simply a citation?

What is the designers approach? Should these options be restricted or others used ­ particularly for the link between the ArgumentReasoning element and justification of its methods? Should some approaches be preferred?

Deferred as still valid for SACM

On further discussion, this issue was determined as being supported by the current SACM 1.0 structure, by means of a) being able to have an associated Argumentation structure to a ArgumentReasoning element (and that this structure – alongside presenting the expansion of the reasoning of the reasoning step (e.g. AssertedInference) – could also present backing for that reasoning) and b) being able to provide backing directly for a reasoning step by means of presenting an AssertedInference (or AssertedEvidence) in support of an AssertedInference (or AssertedEvidence). The issue of the ‘reusability’ of a generic piece of reasoning that is associated to an Argument Reasoning step is connected with the provision of generic but instantiable argument patterns. (Side note thought about Argument patterns requiring a peer concept to Argumentation – e.g. called ‘ArgumentationPattern’ that with the application / association of the necessary information to instantiate can fulfill the same role as ‘Argumentation’.