ABSTRACT
Althoughoriginallyconceivedasinseparablefromrhetoric,dialectics forMelanchthonincreasinglybecameanimportantandindependent disciplinewhichtaughtmethodandcertaintythroughdemonstrative arguments.Thisprocesscanbetracedthroughthesuccessiverevisionsof hisdialecticaltextbooks)Modernestimation,however,ofhisideaof methodhasbeenfarfrompositive.Forinstance,Melanchthonfallsshort ofGilbert'sexpectationofahumanist,whosemajorcontributionto methodicalthinkingwastoprovidetheseventeenthcenturywitha"richer background"byhandingoverapreciseandcomprehensiveknowledgeof classicalmethodology.4ForGilbert,Melanchthondidnotprovidean "extendedandprobinganalysis"ofclassicalconceptsofmethodandthus doesnotdeservethetitleofartifexmethodi.NorisMelanchthon's contributionto"humanistdialectics"consideredtohavebeen constructive.Modernhistoriansgenerallyunderstandhumanistdialectics ascentredontheartofpersuadingmoreplausiblyinutramquepartem, havingstartedwithbothsidesoftheargumentsasequallyplausible.s Theywereinsterestednotsomuchinestablishingtheformalvalidityof statementsasintheskillswithwhichargumentscouldbemademore plausibleandconvincing.IncontrastMelanchthoninsistedonachieving certaintythroughhismethodandgaveextensiveexplanationsofcertain demonstrativearguments.Atbest,hisdialecticsisconsideredahybridof AristoteliandemonstrationandCiceroniandialectics.6Sofar,Melanchthon'sdialecticshasnotpassedmuster.
