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Full Idea
People often think they are practising dialectic when they are practising eristic; this is because of their inability to conduct the enquiry by dividing the subject-matter into its various aspects.
Clarification
'Eristic' is argument as a contest, but 'dialectic' is co-operation in pursuit of truth
Gist of Idea
People often merely practice eristic instead of dialectic, because they don't analyse the subject-matter
Source
Plato (The Republic [c.374 BCE], 454a)
Book Ref
Plato: 'Republic', ed/tr. Waterfield,Robin [OUP 1993], p.165
2130 | People often merely practice eristic instead of dialectic, because they don't analyse the subject-matter [Plato] |
2052 | Eristic discussion is aggressive, but dialectic aims to help one's companions in discussion [Plato] |
2674 | Competitive argument aims at refutation, fallacy, paradox, solecism or repetition [Aristotle] |
7284 | If you beat me in argument, does that mean you are right? [Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)] |
2556 | Rational certainty may be victory in argument rather than knowledge of facts [Rorty] |
8224 | 'Eris' is the divinity of conflict, the opposite of Philia, the god of friendship [Deleuze/Guattari] |