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DIALECTICS

The document defines dialectic as the art of investigating opinions through reasoning and discussion of contradictions. It discusses Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's dialectical philosophy which rejects absolutes in favor of understanding opposites as interconnected parts of a greater whole. Hegel developed a three part model of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis to show how new ideas emerge from the resolution of contradictions. Friedrich Engels expanded this view to emphasize that change results from opposing forces within objects and processes, with gradual changes leading to turning points where one opposite overcomes the other in a process of spiraling rather than cyclic change. Yeats' poetry can be understood dialectically as exploring oppositions that give rise to new unified meanings through their conflicts and tensions

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50 views

DIALECTICS

The document defines dialectic as the art of investigating opinions through reasoning and discussion of contradictions. It discusses Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's dialectical philosophy which rejects absolutes in favor of understanding opposites as interconnected parts of a greater whole. Hegel developed a three part model of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis to show how new ideas emerge from the resolution of contradictions. Friedrich Engels expanded this view to emphasize that change results from opposing forces within objects and processes, with gradual changes leading to turning points where one opposite overcomes the other in a process of spiraling rather than cyclic change. Yeats' poetry can be understood dialectically as exploring oppositions that give rise to new unified meanings through their conflicts and tensions

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c.loren12
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DIALECTIC

NOUN

DIALECTICS
1. the art of investigating or discussing the
truth of opinions.
synonyms: reasoning · contention · logic ·

2. enquiry into metaphysical contradictions


and their solutions.

The German philosopher, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)


came up with a way of thinking, a thought process that rejected the idea
of absolutes. He believed that because the world is constantly changing;
things come into being and then pass away, that their mutability collapses
the idea of absolutes and makes meaning fluid.
He understood all oppositions (good/bad, young/old, right/wrong) as
belonging to, and being a part of a greater whole. The conflict inherent in
contradictory or apparently contradictory ideas gives rise to a new point of view.

Without the conflict, new thinking, new ideas


would not form. His view was that oppositions
were not so much irreconcilable forces but rather
interconnected forces, mutually inclusive in the
birth of a new idea.

Example

Let’s explain Hegel’s theory using the venn diagram below. It suggests that wisdom arises from the
union of a logical and emotional mind. Each opposition has its own positives and negatives, but
when merged together, according to the diagram, the tension creates wisdom. In other words, to be
wise is to have an understanding of the two mindsets. From a dialectical standpoint, the WISE MIND
is the product of the rational and emotional mind – the union and transcendence of the two
oppositions.

Therefore, to think dialectically, is to explore, debate and examine the truth and validity of each
opposition. Hegel argued, each opposition, each perspective had its own merit and its own fallacy.
In dialectics, the aim is not to disprove one way of thinking over another, or privilege one view over
another, but rather show how the perspective is indispensable to the resolution of conflict. Hegel
developed a model to show how from two opposing forces another idea is formed.

Hegelian model

The Hegelian model has THREE components.

1. The Thesis - This is the starting point or


original idea/opinion.

2. The Antithesis: This is the counter-


point or opposing idea/opinion

3. The Synthesis: This the domain where


the idea and counter-ideas overlap.
Think of a venn diagram. Take the
example below.

The interesting and powerful feature of the Hegelian dialectic is once the circular argument has
reached synthesis, a new thesis can be created and the process begins anew, incrementally and
progressively moving forward toward the next predetermined outcome.

Dialectical thinking involves understanding how the


“whole” needs the oppositions to be whole. If we
think of Yeats, we see how the union of opposites
(experiencing loss to appreciate love, age to value
youth and so on) is the means by which opposites
are transcended and new understanding is formed.
We can say Yeats’ poetry is dialectical because he
explores the unity of opposites as being
fundamental to understanding a more enlightened
perspective. Within the contradiction of opposites
lies the new meaning or as Hegel would say the
synthesis.
FRIEDRICH ENGELS

Influenced by Hegel, Friedrich Engels expanded the philosophy and gave it a


more social dimension. His three point structure is another way of
understanding contradiction and the way things change.

Point 1 – Everything (every object, every process) is made of opposing


forces/opposing sides. This opposition is the force that propels change.

Point 2 – Gradual changes lead to turning points, where one opposite


overcomes the other. Think of a balloon, when it gets too big it pops, or
when your body has had enough sleep it wakes up. This turning point can
mark an end, or a new beginning but it always marks a change.

Point 3 – Change moves in spirals, not circles. Because one change leads on to another change it is a
process in constant evolution. Therefore, it’s not cyclical in the sense of going round and around:
that would be repetition without growth or development. Rather, the image offered is that of a
spiral moving upwards or downwards depending on the nature of the change.

This brings us to YEATS

His poetry can be said to be dialectical because

• There is a strong philosophical tone in his poetry


• He engages with a range of oppositions
• He is not interested in duality but rather how those oppositions
unify and transcend
• His engagement with oppositions shapes the creative expression
and textual form of his ideas
• His poetry acknowledges conflict as the inescapable condition of
being human
• His poetry is about change and the cyclical patterns of history
(gyre theory)
• His poems follow a logical structure of Problem – Reaction – Solution, a structure that
reflects a dialectical thinking (i.e follows philosophical logic)

Writing about Yeats

Understanding these ideas broadens your understanding as to why he explores oppositions. Your
aim is to work out:

1. The synthesis, or the new idea that has arisen from the opposition. For example, in When
you are old some of the oppositions Yeats explores are youth/age, love and loss,
present/future. What could the synthesis be? Acceptance? Eternity?
2. The turning point, or the moment in the poem when the tension between the oppositions
collapses and the new idea is formed. The turning point in Yeats’ poetry commonly occurs at
the end of his poems and is certainly worth discussing in your paper.
3. Yeats’ gyre theory or the idea that change occurs in spirals leads to an understanding of the
universal ideas in Yeats’ poetry.
4. Alternatively, you could analyse his poems in terms of the problem they pose, the persona’s
reaction and the solution suggested. Analysing the poems in this manner inherently shows
an understanding of Yeats’ dialectical thinking.

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