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Single Idea 2677

[filed under theme 2. Reason / C. Styles of Reason / 1. Dialectic ]

Full Idea

Dialectical arguments are those which, starting from generally accepted opinions, reason to establish a contradiction.

Clarification

'Dialectic' is the impersonal pursuit of truth

Gist of Idea

Dialectic aims to start from generally accepted opinions, and lead to a contradiction

Source

Aristotle (Sophistical Refutations [c.331 BCE], 165b03)

Book Ref

Aristotle: 'Sophistical Refutations, On the Cosmos etc (III)', ed/tr. Forster,E.S. /Furley,D.J. [Harvard Loeb 1955], p.15


The 7 ideas from 'Sophistical Refutations'

Reasoning is a way of making statements which makes them lead on to other statements [Aristotle]
Didactic argument starts from the principles of the subject, not from the opinions of the learner [Aristotle]
Dialectic aims to start from generally accepted opinions, and lead to a contradiction [Aristotle]
Competitive argument aims at refutation, fallacy, paradox, solecism or repetition [Aristotle]
'Are Coriscus and Callias at home?' sounds like a single question, but it isn't [Aristotle]
Generic terms like 'man' are not substances, but qualities, relations, modes or some such thing [Aristotle]
Only if two things are identical do they have the same attributes [Aristotle]