The Art of Dialectic Between Dialogue and Rhetoric: The Aristotelian TraditionThis book reconstructs the tradition of dialectic from Aristotle's "Topics," its founding text, up to its "renaissance" in 16th century Italy, and focuses on the role of dialectic in the production of knowledge. Aristotle defines dialectic as a structured exchange of questions and answers and thus links it to dialogue and disputation, while Cicero develops a mildly skeptical version of dialectic, identifies it with reasoning "in utramque partem" and connects it closely to rhetoric. These two interpretations constitute the backbone of the living tradition of dialectic and are variously developed in the Renaissance against the Medieval background. The book scrutinizes three separate contexts in which these developments occur: Rudolph Agricola's attempt to develop a new dialectic in close connection with rhetoric, Agostino Nifo's thoroughly Aristotelian approach and its use of the newly translated commentaries of Alexander of Aphrodisias and Averroes, and Carlo Sigonio's literary theory of the dialogue form, which is centered around Aristotle's "Topics." Today, Aristotelian dialectic enjoys a new life within argumentation theory: the final chapter of the book briefly revisits these contemporary developments and draws some general epistemological conclusions linking the tradition of dialectic to a fallibilist view of knowledge. |
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Contents
Dialectic and the notion of tradition | 1 |
1 Aristotle and the art of dialectic | 11 |
Cicero Boethius and the scholastics | 39 |
An introduction | 59 |
4 The new humanist dialectic and rhetoric | 65 |
5 The Topics and Renaissance Aristotelianism | 99 |
6 Dialectic and dialogue | 133 |
7 Rhetoric and dialectic | 161 |
The epistemological value of Aristotelian dialectic | 173 |
Notes | 179 |
| 215 | |
| 231 | |
| 237 | |
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Common terms and phrases
16th century accepted according Agostino Nifo Agricola Alexander of Aphrodisias Alexander’s aporetic dialectic aporetic method argu argumentation theory Aristotelian Aristotle Aristotle’s dialectic Aristotle’s Rhetoric Aristotle’s text Aristotle’s Topics assent audience Averroes belief Boethius Book VIII Cicero Ciceronian commentary on Aristotle’s commentators conclusion considered debate demonstration described dialectic and rhetoric dialectical arguments dialectical disputation dialectical reasoning dialectical syllogisms dialectician dialogue form discourse discussion disputational dialectic endoxa enthymemes epistemic explicitly function of dialectic Greek humanist ibid important insofar interpretation inventione dialectica judgment knowledge Latin translations lectic logic Lorenzo Valla means Medieval namely Nifo notion opposed peirastic persuasion philosophical Plato Posterior Analytics premises principles probable proof propositions prove questions and answers Quintilian Rasarius refers Renaissance reputable opinions rhetoric and dialectic role sense Sigonio Sophistical Refutations Speroni Stoic Tasso term Themistius thesis things tion topoi tradition of Aristotle’s treatise true truth utramque partem Valla whereas writes
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Art of Dialectic Between Dialogue and Rhetoric: The Aristotelian Tradition Volume 9 of Controversies (John Benjamins) Volume 9 of Controversies Series |
| Author | Marta Spranzi |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing, 2011 |
| ISBN | 9027218897, 9789027218896 |
| Length | 239 pages |
| Subjects | › Language Arts & Disciplines / Rhetoric |
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