Special Conditions

Special conditions should not be used unless you have very, very complex critiquing needs. Most GBSs only require a "Supports", "Despite", and "Notebook" evidence lists, in which case you should use the regular argument structures.

Some projects (e.g. Nutrition) have a supports evidence list, but then a bunch of other lists that, though not exactly evidence, they still need to be critiqued like an evidence list. They aren't semantically identical to NOTEBOOK or DESPITE, so we invented Special Conditions.

Special conditions are like rule-lets, which rather than checking an argument, check a given evidence list (firmer list) as to whether or not it satisfies/does not satisfy a set of points or conditions. So, if, say, you had a recommendations evidence list, you would author it as follows:

  1. Make a recommendations evidence list.
  2. Find the appropriate rule collection and rule set.
  3. Create a rule.
  4. Open the pane at the bottom about special conditions.
  5. Create a special condition.
  6. Choose your recommendations evidence list.
  7. Fill out the rest like it was a normal rule.
Last modified 1/27/98 ST