Break a problem into issues and argue it out with claims, evidence and rebuttals. AI only summarizes and suggests what to ask next — it never rules on who is right. Here is the order a debate actually runs in.
Problem→Issue …?→ClaimSupportRebut→✦ AI recap→Consensus
How a debate runs
1
Open a problem
Write one paragraph on what you are trying to resolve. A debate starts from the problem, not from an answer.
2
Split it into issues
Cut the problem into questions that need answering. One question ending in a question mark is one issue. The AI suggests candidates; a person picks.
3
Argue with claims, evidence and rebuttals
These three are the only post types. There are no free-form comments and replies nest three deep at most. A new question becomes a new issue, not a comment.
4
Extract claims from what was said
After you post, the AI proposes the claims it found as clean sentences, and only your confirmation puts them in the ledger. Your original text is never rewritten — a claim stands beside it, not over it.
5
Vote on claims
Votes attach to claims, not to posts. So when the same claim shows up in several debates the votes pool in one place, and the record outlives the debate as input to the next one.
6
The AI organizes
A scheduled batch writes a recap per issue and suggests what would be worth answering next. A recap is reading help, not a ruling.
7
Consensus is computed
A value the code derives from the vote distribution. The AI is never asked — there is no reason to turn arithmetic into an opinion.
The three post types
Claim
A position on the issue. It has to be a sentence you can agree or disagree with.
Support
Facts, data or cases backing a claim. Attach a link and it is recorded as a source.
Rebut
Why a claim or its evidence is wrong. It addresses the content, never the person.
One post carries one point. No free-form comments and a depth cap of three are not friction for its own sake — they are what keeps the thread from scattering.
What the AI does and does not do
It does
suggest candidate issues
summarize what has been said per issue
propose claims extracted from posts
flag claims that look identical as merge candidates
It does not
rule on which side is right
declare a fact true or false
merge claims on its own — a moderator confirms
compute consensus — that is the code's arithmetic
How consensus is computed
For each claim we take net support (agree − disagree, floored at zero), then its share of the total net support. The largest share is the consensus reading.
Why subtract disagreement: counting only agreement would let the single claim everyone opposes reach 100% and read as convergence.
Computed from the vote distribution. It is an observation, not a verdict on which claim is right.
It is shown in four levels.
Insufficient
With no claims or fewer than five votes we show the reason instead of a number.
Converging
The leading claim holds 60% or more of the net support.
Contested
Opinion is split, but one side is ahead.
Divided
Three or more claims are in play and the leader is under 40%.
Editing and retracting — there is no delete
You can edit within 24 hours of posting; after that you can only retract.
There is no delete because votes attach to content: deleting a post would erase what those votes pointed at. A retracted post stays on screen with a strikethrough and drops out of the math only.