ABSTRACT
In philosophy, the term ‘dialectics’ originally referred to the argumentative style found in Plato’s dialogues. Socrates, Plato’s main protagonist, would interrogate other philosophers, thinkers and assorted experts, most typically as to what they meant by a particular concept (such as ‘justice’, or the ‘good’). The Socratic method typically worked by exposing the shallow and ultimately incoherent understanding that others had of concepts, but without Socrates necessarily providing an adequate and coherent definition of his own.
