Importance Of Dialogue And Dialectic In Philosophy
Philosophy is concerned with finding solutions to problems of life as well as of 'being and becoming'. is primarily concerned with issues lasting to the origin and nature of attar, mind, goodness, truth, and time reality Philosophy is the outcome of our sense wonder, what Vedanta calls jigyasa, ariosity; what the Gita calls pariprashna, e questioning spirit. Methodologies Hopted by Greek, western and Indian stems of philosophy differ: Western nilosophy is a disinterested quest for nowledge, to know for the sake of known, knowledge being an end in itself. In Indian philosophy pursuit of knowledge has utilitarian ends. While reek and western philosophers limit neir investigation to the external world senses, Indian philosophers go beyond the sensory world. In pursuit of truth, both use technique of dialogue and dialectic. Ordinarily, 'dialogue’ means 'conversation', 'discussion', 'exchange or interchange of ideas'. For Plato "dialogue is the dialectic, a skilfully directed technique of questioning”. So he described the dialectician as "midwife tending us in the act, in the 'labour' of knowing". The dictionary defines dialectic as a specialised "way of discovering what is true by considering opposite theories; a formal method of argument, in which new positions are reached by testing opposing views against one another"-to designate "the method of investigating the nature of truth by critical analysis of concepts and hypotheses". In his 'Dialogues', Plato arrives at truth through discussion inthe form of questions and answers. Greek phyllo sop her Aristotle thought of dialectic as the search for the philosophic basis of science, and he frequently used the term as synonym for the "science of logic". Plato calls the written discourse as "dead discourse". First, because the written words, "seem to talk to you as though they were intelligent, but if you ask them anything about what they say, from a desire to be instructed, they go on telling you,just the same thing forever". There is always a danger of the written word falling in the hands of undeserving persons. It does not know how to address the right people, and not address the wrong. On the other hand, the "living speech", dialogue, resides in "the soul of the learner; (it) can defend itself, and knows to whom should it speak and to whom it should say nothing". Hence Plato prefers "living speech"-active dialogue over passive written composition or treatise, however reasoned it may be. The presuppositions of a successfudialogue are first, there has to be at lea one rival-contradictory or contrary claim to knowledge as well as theory acknowledge being supported or oppose Second, participants have to believeinthe supremacy of reason and be ready without prejudice to go where it takes them. All participants are equal; there no place for authority. In authentic dialogue there is no platform an apt vaakya-the absolute unbailable statement. There is also no placean aapta purusha-an all-knowing persTestimony and rigid mindset have no rin a dialogue. The underlying principlethe method of arriving at knowledge, otruth, through the method of dialogueand dialectic is the axiom that reason, tlogos, guides us in our quest.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Ashok Vohra views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Ashok Vohra and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Importance Of Dialogue And Dialectic In Philosophy
Philosophy is concerned with finding solutions to problems of life as well as of 'being and becoming'. is primarily concerned with issues lasting to the origin and nature of attar, mind, goodness, truth, and time reality Philosophy is the outcome of our sense wonder, what Vedanta calls jigyasa, ariosity; what the Gita calls pariprashna, e questioning spirit. Methodologies Hopted by Greek, western and Indian stems of philosophy differ: Western nilosophy is a disinterested quest for nowledge, to know for the sake of known, knowledge being an end in itself. In Indian philosophy pursuit of knowledge has utilitarian ends. While reek and western philosophers limit neir investigation to the external world senses, Indian philosophers go beyond the sensory world. In pursuit of truth, both use technique of dialogue and dialectic. Ordinarily, 'dialogue’ means 'conversation', 'discussion', 'exchange or interchange of ideas'. For Plato "dialogue is the dialectic, a skilfully directed technique of questioning”. So he described the dialectician as "midwife tending us in the act, in the 'labour' of knowing". The dictionary defines dialectic as a specialised "way of discovering what is true by considering opposite theories; a formal method of argument, in which new positions are reached by testing opposing views against one another"-to designate "the method of investigating the nature of truth by critical analysis of concepts and hypotheses". In his 'Dialogues', Plato arrives at truth through discussion inthe form of questions and answers. Greek phyllo sop her Aristotle thought of dialectic as the search for the philosophic basis of science, and he frequently used the term as synonym for the "science of logic". Plato calls the written discourse as "dead discourse". First, because the written words, "seem to talk to you as though they were intelligent, but if you ask them anything about what they say, from a desire to be instructed, they go on telling you,just the same thing forever". There is always a danger of the written word falling in the hands of undeserving persons. It does not know how to address the right people, and not address the wrong. On the other hand, the "living speech", dialogue, resides in "the soul of the learner; (it) can defend itself, and knows to whom should it speak and to whom it should say nothing". Hence Plato prefers "living speech"-active dialogue over passive written composition or treatise, however reasoned it may be. The presuppositions of a successfudialogue are first, there has to be at lea one rival-contradictory or contrary claim to knowledge as well as theory acknowledge being supported or oppose Second, participants have to believeinthe supremacy of reason and be ready without prejudice to go where it takes them. All participants are equal; there no place for authority. In authentic dialogue there is no platform an apt vaakya-the absolute unbailable statement. There is also no placean aapta purusha-an all-knowing persTestimony and rigid mindset have no rin a dialogue. The underlying principlethe method of arriving at knowledge, otruth, through the method of dialogueand dialectic is the axiom that reason, tlogos, guides us in our quest.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Ashok Vohra views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Ashok Vohra and Speaking Tree,Times of India