I use Mindjet for argument mapping. I know there are dedicated argument mapping packages out there, such as ReasonAble! and Rationale, but I find the superior graphical interface features of Mindjet’s product outweighs the disadvantages of using it for a purpose slightly different from what I intended. (Having said that, the way I do argument maps is heavily influenced by the way ReasonAble! Works. If those guys can team up with the Mindjet people, they’d have a winner product.)

What I do is put the central proposition of the case at the centre and then the first child note is just the word “because”. The child nodes of that are the premises of that argument – each written as a full, propositional sentence. Each separate argument for a proposition hangs off its own “because” node (thus, if the central proposition is supported several independent arguments, there will be several “because” nodes hanging from it). Each premise can then be its own proposition with its own “because” nodes.

Counter arguments to a proposition are hung off a “BUT” node. I colour propositions that are assisting the central proposition green and those that are rebutting the central proposition red. “Becauses” and “buts” are in plain text.

All of this is usually done on the curved right or elbow right format, rather than the classic mindmap format with the central idea at the centre.

I first started doing this on CMap but I found the absence of word wrap for long nodes was a problem and it wasn’t as easy to add extra premises as it is with Mindjet.

I tend to use CMap to get all concepts (or companies in a corporate structure) in my head and then Mindjet to map out an argument.

One other thing that really bugs me about CMap is that it won’t let you save maps in other folders. I like to keep all documents related to a matter, whether they be word docs, spreadsheets, pdfs or mindmaps, in the one folder.