Roots of Platonic Dialectic 1 - Heraclitus

The development of dialectic in pre-Socratic philosophy - sorting through the fagements of Heraclitus

Is dialectic a method serving the practice of any philosophy? Or is it a fundamental part of a specific philosophical tradition? The term dialectic (or dialectics) itself is formulated and developed in Plato's dialogues for the first time. Each hypothesis about the roots of Platonic Dialectic implies a different interpretation of dialectics, but each conception of these roots could be taken as a moment of the history of dialectics. In Heraclitus' fragments, we have a theory of 'becoming' established on the idea of opposites. These opposites in Heraclitus do not exclude the idea of harmony and the necessary trust in the unity of Logos. Plato was taught in Heraclitus to go beyond the principle of contradiction, even if he apparently criticizes his theory of universal change.

No previous experience of formal philosophy is required.

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