Argument diagramming as a tool to develop critical thinking

A letter to the editor sent by a British business school professor offered this teasing bit: “Several recent software developments, mostly from philosophy and computing groups, support the use of argument diagramming as one means to develop critical thinking,” in Harvard Bus. Rev., Vol. 84, Feb. 2006 at 160.

Argument diagramming also helps a person learn, since “Gains equivalent to those resulting from a complete undergraduate program have been achieved in fewer than 100 hours of class time using argument-mapping techniques. An argument diagram/map uses text boxes to represent claims and arrows or lines to show connections. A complicated agreement would become clearer with the use of software to show the inter-connections. An excellent article from last year by Maralee Harrell (Carnegie Mellon) lists Araugcaria, Argutect, Athena Standard, Inspiration and Reason!Able.