Making Use of Advances in Answer-Set Programming for Abstract Argumentation Systems

TL;DR

This paper explores how recent advances in Answer-Set Programming, especially the metasp frontend, can simplify and improve the encoding and computation of various argumentation semantics in abstract argumentation frameworks.

Contribution

It introduces new encodings for argumentation semantics using metasp and compares them experimentally with traditional ASP encodings, demonstrating improved simplicity and efficiency.

Findings

Metasp simplifies encoding of argumentation semantics.

Metasp performs well when problem complexity aligns with its capabilities.

New encodings for resolution-based grounded semantics are effective.

Abstract

Dung's famous abstract argumentation frameworks represent the core formalism for many problems and applications in the field of argumentation which significantly evolved within the last decade. Recent work in the field has thus focused on implementations for these frameworks, whereby one of the main approaches is to use Answer-Set Programming (ASP). While some of the argumentation semantics can be nicely expressed within the ASP language, others required rather cumbersome encoding techniques. Recent advances in ASP systems, in particular, the metasp optimization frontend for the ASP-package gringo/claspD provides direct commands to filter answer sets satisfying certain subset-minimality (or -maximality) constraints. This allows for much simpler encodings compared to the ones in standard ASP language. In this paper, we experimentally compare the original encodings (for the argumentation semantics based on preferred, semi-stable, and respectively, stage extensions) with new metasp encodings. Moreover, we provide novel encodings for the recently introduced resolution-based grounded semantics. Our experimental results indicate that the metasp approach works well in those cases where the complexity of the encoded problem is adequately mirrored within the metasp approach.