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Questions tagged [dialectic]

56 questions
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How does Søren Kierkegaard use the word "dialectic" and how does his use of it differ from G.W.F. Hegel's?

According, to my understanding, the meaning of dialectic is... In Plato: a back-and-forth conversational style of reasoning from his later dialogues In the Middle Ages: the scholastic style of reasoning so well exemplified in Aquinas (objection,…
Kazark
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What does Hegel mean by "Quality"?

In the Science of Logic, Hegel initially presents quality as existent determinateness. He further distinguishes two modes of determining quality in accordance with the moments of existence: Determinateness thus isolated by itself, as existent…
emi
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Did Plato record actual conversations in his dialogues?

For example, Did Socrates really meet Zeno in Parmenides as a young man and the conversation that took place between them was recorded by Plato? Are ANY of Plato's dialogues recordings of actual conversations?
Parmenides
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Which philosopher discusses simultaneously considering an opinion and its opposite?

I remember reading somewhere that philosophical thinking was about being able to simultaneously consider one opinion and its opposite, or something of the like. Where was that? I am pretty sure it was in a philosophy book. The idea has grown on me,…
Leo
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What philosopher said that knowledge is about discerning differences?

I have heard that knowledge is discerning differences or to that effect. For example, if all things are the same such that there is no differentiating qualities, we can't really speak of anything interesting (think about pitch-dark environment). I…
moonset
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Questions concerning the Hegelian dialectic

How exactly did Hegel describe the dialectic and what [historical] examples, if any, did he offer to sustain it? Please, provide sourced quotes. I will attempt to summarize my understanding of what the Hegelian dialectic is. I ask you to either…
useranonis
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What is Hegelian dialectic of good and evil and how does it relate to binary opposition in structuralism?

What relation does the Hegelian dialectic have to the structuralist notion of binary opposition? If it has any, where does the synthesis fit in to the dualistic nature of the structuralist system? Examples in terms of posits might exist in the form,…
martin
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Introduction to Hegel for a Marxist

What subset of Hegel should a person know to understand Marxist philosophy? In political alignment i'm a Marxist, and mostly subscribe to social and political positions of the kinds like Slavoj Žižek or István Mészáros. However in philosophy i was…
Mirzhan Irkegulov
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Enantiodromia--How Do Symbols Undergo an Inversion of Meaning?

I am looking for writings in philosophy, semiotics, or psychology that deal with the shifts and ultimately the inversion of practical meaning in symbols. This would be something like Orwell's concept of doublespeak or Jung's references to Heraclitus…
Nelson Alexander
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What is the meaning of "dialectic"and "analytic" in Kant's First Critique?

The meaning of the term dialectic, as in Transcendental Dialectic, in the Critique Of Pure Reason, is obscure. This, mixed with the already complex text, makes this term difficult to assess. A list of possible meanings that might fit: Argumental:…
RodolfoAP
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How do logicians think about Hegel's logic

I was told, a while ago now, that if I wanted to study Hegel, even Hegelian Marxism, I'd be best off studying his logic first. Having recently asked this question I was wondering how do contemporary logicians formalize Hegelian logic using the…
user34654
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How to build up clear ideas

I was reading Descartes' Rules for the direction of mind and noticed how clear are his ideas. I would love to speak in that way, where every sentence is a necessary step to climb up the final idea. Of course, this magic is obtained by practice and…
user29573
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What topics of philosophy should I study to understand the dialectics of societies?

I am new to this site, it will be really helpful if you can help me with tags. I live in an area which is a socially, morally and intellectually very backward part of the world, although materially it is average. I am interested in Philosophy and…
Ben
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Question on learning type in Plato Cave Allegory

My question is based on the Cave of Plato. In this myth I see two types of learning. The first type of learning is the person that is released from the cave and climbs up to the light. The second type of learning is when the same person is coming…
Aristos
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Dialectical Relationships

When I read over Rollo May's books I found that he uses several times the phrase "dialectical relationship". I cannot deduce from those contexts what this phrase really means, but I figure it must be a terminology from philosophy. Can someone help…
Yes
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