"The Ratings metric gauges users' support for the positions that are being considered by the community.
The level of support for each position is measured from the bottom up, using an algorithm that takes into account the number of supportive vs. non-supportive posts attached to it, as well as the number of up or down votes received by each item in the string of posts.
The algorithm for measuring support is based on the Dempster Shafer theory of belief functions (pdf). Integration of D-S theory with argument formalisms is discussed in more depth in "Supporting group decisions by mediating deliberation to improve information pooling," available here (pdf).
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