ETYM Latin dialecticus, Greek: cf. French dialectique. Related to Dialect.
Of or relating to or employing dialectic; SYN. dialectical.
1. A contradiction of ideas that serves as the determining factor in their interaction.
2. Any formal system of reasoning that arrives at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments.
Greek term, originally associated with the philosopher Socrates’ method of argument through dialogue and conversation. Hegelian dialectic, named for the German philosopher Hegel, refers to an interpretive method in which the contradiction between a thesis and its antithesis is resolved through synthesis.