Editing Dialectic (section)

== Classical philosophy ==
In [[classical philosophy]], dialectic ({{langx|grc|διαλεκτική}} {{tlit|grc|dialektikḗ}}) is a form of [[reasoning]] based upon dialogue of arguments and counter-arguments, advocating ''[[proposition]]s'' (theses) and ''counter-propositions'' ([[antitheses]]). The outcome of such a dialectic might be the refutation of a relevant proposition, or a synthesis, a combination of the opposing assertions, or a qualitative improvement of the dialogue.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ayer |first1=A. J. |last2=O'Grady |first2=J. |date=1992 |title=A Dictionary of Philosophical Quotations |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Blackwell Publishers]] |page=484}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=McTaggart |first1=J. M. E. |date=1964 |title=A commentary on Hegel's logic |location=New York |publisher=[[Russell & Russell]] |page=11}}</ref>

=== Platonism ===
In Platonism, dialectic assumed an ontological and metaphysical role in that it became the process whereby the intellect passes from sensibles to intelligibles, rising from idea to idea until it finally grasps the supreme idea, the first principle which is the origin of all. The philosopher is consequently a "dialectician".<ref>{{cite book |last=Reale |first=Giovanni |date=1990 |title=History of Ancient Philosophy |translator-first=John R. |translator-last=Catan |location=Albany |publisher=[[State University of New York]] |volume=2 |page=150}}</ref> In this sense, dialectic is a process of inquiry that does away with hypotheses up to the first principle.<ref>''Republic'', VII, 533 c-d</ref> It slowly embraces multiplicity in unity. The philosopher [[Simon Blackburn]] wrote that the dialectic in this sense is used to understand "the total process of enlightenment, whereby the philosopher is educated so as to achieve knowledge of the supreme good, the Form of the Good".<ref>{{cite dictionary |last=Blackburn |first=Simon |date=1996 |title=dialectic |dictionary=The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=104 |isbn=0-19-283134-8 |oclc=32854872 |url=https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary0000blac_c6v6/page/104 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

=== Aristotle ===
[[Aristotle]] has been traditionally understood as viewing dialectic as a lesser method of reasoning than ''demonstration'', which derives a necessarily true conclusion from premises assumed to be true via [[syllogism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hamlyn |first=D. W. |title=Aristotle on Dialectic |journal=Philosophy |publisher=Cambridge University Press |volume=65 |issue=254 |year=1990 |issn=0031-8191 |jstor=3751284 |pages=465–466|doi=10.1017/S003181910006469X }}</ref> Within the ''[[Organon]]'', the series comprising Aristotle's works about logic,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Smith |first=Robin |title=Aristotle's Logic |encyclopedia=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |year=2022 |orig-date=2000 |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-logic/#AriLogWorOrg |at=§ Aristotle’s Logical Works: The Organon |ref={{sfnref|Smith|2000}}}}</ref> the ''[[Topics (Aristotle)|Topics]]'' is dedicated to dialectic—which he characterizes as argument from ''[[endoxa]]'' ("generally accredited opinions") where positions are subject to lines of questioning, to which concessions may be made in response. While Aristotle asserts "dialectic does not prove anything", he considers it to be a useful art closely related to [[rhetoric]].{{sfn|Smith|2000|loc=§ Dialectical Argument and the Art of Dialectic}}<ref>{{cite book |first=Robert |last=Bolton |title=The Blackwell guide to ancient philosophy |publisher=Blackwell |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-631-22215-6 |chapter=Aristotle: Epistemology and Methodology |editor-first=Christopher |editor-last=Shields |pages=156–158}}</ref>