Agitate is the world's first consensus building platform. Discussion as a single, collective, ongoing project.
Agitate produces a model of our discourse. A map to study, use, and improve. Passively participated in, resistant to trolls, and anonymous - bizarro social media.
Why?
Consider the sci-fi trope: a powerful technology is discovered, however, instead of sharing it with the world, the hero decides it must be destroyed. Humanity is simply not mature enough to be trusted with such power.
The thing is - who is to say humanity will ever truly mature any further? And who is to say we can be trusted with the technologies humanity has already unleashed? How do we best play the hand we've been dealt?
A reason for hope is we are not all bad. There is a great deal of good to be found amongst us. There is a great deal of wisdom. There is a great deal of sense. But there also is an impression that too often what is right is not what's brought to the fore. The question Agitate aims to answer then is: how do we access the best of humanity for guidance?
Through a dogged pursuit of fair representation, it is the mission of Agitate to conduct the most extensive exercise in open inquiry in history.
What does "Agitate" mean?
Agitate is a made-up word. From the Latin "vestigium" - to track, trace, or mark. The most common descendant "Vestige" is notable because it is so inextricably of the past. There is not a more intentional, affirmative, present form of the word. Agitate means to lay down a marker with the intention of aiding those that follow. The suffix, "-gette", invokes suffrage because Agitate aims to add clarity and context to our dialogue by giving voice to the underrepresented.
Agitate is an abstraction of common argument mapping techniques. Each argument is an assertion - phrased as its proponents prefer best. Arguments are linked together in 3 different ways: those that (1) precede - Because, (2) follow - Therefore, or (3) refute - Rebuttal.
30 Second Video Tutorial
Users develop and track their own personal lines of reasoning within the Agitate framework. Maintaining a line of reasoning that is optimally compelling while consistent with principles and beliefs previously tracked involves continuous reconsideration and fine-tuning. This collective effort produces a map of both the common wisdom and where/how it deviates.
Users interact with an argument first by choosing to "Accept" or "Reject". Accepting an argument gives a user the right to endorse which other arguments should be linked as its Because or Therefore types. Users that accept an argument also improve the argument by deciding a Phrasing (✎) that better puts the argument forth and promote a preferred Explication (⌘) - a link to any kind of content (news article, academic paper, explainer video, meme) that better exemplifies, expands upon or gives evidence toward the point of the the argument. Rejecting the argument gives opponents the right to prioritize arguments linked to refute it as its Rebuttal types.
Start with Accept or Reject
• If you Accept:
• 1. Weigh in, distributing proportional significance to arguments connected as either Because or Therefore arguments
• 2. Vote on the best Phrasing of the argument
• 3. Vote on the best Explication (link to content)
• If you Reject:
• 1. Weigh in, distributing proportional significance to arguments connected as Rebuttal arguments
The links from the argument at hand to others are applied with a weight. Each user can give their full weight to a single argument of any type they have rights to, or distribute weight proportionally among many. The circular chart to the left of each argument becomes a button upon choosing to weigh in. Apply weight to arguments of your choosing by clicking the circle button to its left. Each click gives an argument more weight relative to the others. Once satisfied, submit your endorsement and add to the collective whole.
Agitate is in its inital development stage and self-funded. Software development guidance, legal assistance, financial support or general user feedback are all accepted graciously.
To request to become a beta user, email your request to craig@vestigette.org