Eristic
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In philosophy and rhetoric, eristic (from Eris, the ancient Greek goddess of chaos, strife, and discord) refers to an argument that aims to successfully dispute another's argument, rather than searching for truth. According to T.H. Irwin, "It is characteristic of the eristic to think of some arguments as a way of defeating the other side, by showing that an opponent must assent to the negation of what he initially took himself to believe."[1] Eristic is defined by Rankin as arguing for the sake of conflict, as opposed to resolving conflict.[2]
Use in education
Eristic was a type of "question-and-answer"
Unlike Plato, Isocrates (often considered a Sophist) did not distinguish eristic from dialectic.[6] He held that both lacked a "'useful application' ... that created responsible citizens",[7] which unscrupulous teachers used for "enriching themselves at the expense of the youth."[8]
Philosophical eristic
According to
Argumentation theory
Argumentation theory is a field of study that asks critical questions about eristic arguments and the other types of dialogue.
See also
Notes
- ^ Irwin, T.H. "Plato's Objection to the Sophists." The Greek World. London: Routledge, 1995. P. 585. Print.
- ^ H.D. Rankin (1983). Sophists, Socratics and Cynics. Pp. 233–237.
- ^ Alexander Nehamas. "Eristic, Antilogic, Sophistic, Dialectic: Plato's Demarcation of Philosophy from Sophistry". (page 6)
- ^ Irwin, T.H. "Plato's Objection to the Sophists." The Greek World. London: Routledge, 1995. 583. Print.
- ^ Alexander Nehamas. "Eristic, Antilogic, Sophistic, Dialectic: Plato's Demarcation of Philosophy from Sophistry". (page 7).
- ^ "Plato, Republic, Book 5, section 454a". www.perseus.tufts.edu.
- ^ Marsh, Charles. Classical rhetoric and modern public relations: an Isocratean model. New York: Routledge, 2013. P. 121.
- ^ "Isocrates, Antidosis, section 45". www.perseus.tufts.edu.
- ^ Controversial Dialectic Archived 2007-07-15 at the Wayback Machine on CoolHaus.de accessed at January 19, 2008
- ^ In his Dialectica Eristica Schopenhauer presents 38 eristic stratagems
References
- Schopenhauer, Arthur. Eristische Dialektik, 1830.
- Encyclopædia Britannica defines eristic
External links
- Arthur Schopenhauer's Eristische Dialektik: