Policy as Argument---A Logic for Ill-Structured Decision Problems

Ian I. Mitroff, Richard O. Mason and Vincent P. Barabba
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Ian I. Mitroff: University of Southern California
Richard O. Mason: University of Southern California
Vincent P. Barabba: Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, New York

Management Science, 1982, vol. 28, issue 12, 1391-1404

Abstract: This paper presents a new framework for handling ill-structured decision problems. The framework derives from recent developments in the logic of argumentation. It shows how policy statements may under certain conditions be construed as the outcome of a complex process of argumentation. The framework is especially suited to ill-structured decision problems since it is capable of handling explicit contradictions and missing parts in an argument structure. It is also shown by means of a new concept---plausibility---how it is possible to locate the weakest links in a complex argument. A major consequence of the concept of plausibility is that it is possible under certain conditions to transform a problem in the logic of argumentation (i.e., symbolic logic) into one of algebra (i.e., linear programming).

Keywords: planning:; philosophy; of; modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1982
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:28:y:1982:i:12:p:1391-1404

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