Abstract

Dialectic, as one of the methods of philosophy, is characterized by being prepositional, interrogative, controversial, and interminable. These notes suffice to distinguish dialectic from science, sophistic, rhetoric, and, generally, from intuitive and demonstrative knowledge. Each note also determines a function which dialectic fulfills in philosophical inquiry. The interrogative function is best seen in the consideration of principles and the formulation of problems. As prepositional and controversial, philosophy depends upon the history of philosophy and is engaged in a continuous controversy which, as interminable, is capable of progress as dialectic ensures and promotes a community of understanding