Dialectic: Logic Through Conversation

Dialectic is a term used in philosophy, and the fact that it is closely connected to the ideas of Socrates and Plato is completely logical—even from an etymological point of view. Plato’s famous dialogues frequently presented Socrates playing a leading role, and dialogue comes from the Greek roots dia- (“through” or “across”) and -logue (“discourse” or “talk”). Dialect and dialectic come from dialecktos (“conversation” or “dialect”) and ultimately back to the Greek word dialegesthai, meaning “to converse.”

Conversation or dialogue was indeed at the heart of the “Socratic method,” through which Socrates would ask probing questions which cumulatively revealed his students’ unsupported assumptions and misconceptions. The goal, according to the definition in our Unabridged Dictionary, was to “elicit a clear and consistent expression of something supposed to be implicitly known by all rational beings.”

Other philosophers had specific uses of the term dialectic, including Aristotelianism, Stoicism, Kantianism, Hegelianism, and Marxism. Asking a series of questions was considered by Socrates a method of “giving birth” to the truth, and a related word, maieutic, defined as “relating to or resembling the Socratic method of eliciting new ideas from another,” comes from the Greek word meaning “of midwifery.”

Examples of dialogue in a Sentence

Noun He is an expert at writing dialogue. There's very little dialogue in the film. The best part of the book is the clever dialogue. Students were asked to read dialogues from the play. The two sides involved in the labor dispute are trying to establish a dialogue. The two parties have been in constant dialogue with each other. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun It was packed with witty and self-referential dialogue not normally encountered on a teen soap. — Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 13 May 2022 Fred Ward is an underused and underrated actor, an everyman who can deliver dialogue with a fresh tilt that works for many of his characters. — Carmel Dagan, Variety, 13 May 2022 There’s little by way of adequate backstory, complex emotion, or engaging dialogue to help audiences connect with the characters and care what’s happening. — Jeff Ewing, Forbes, 13 May 2022 The sets are pristine, the dialogue biting and the overwhelming sense of foreboding undeniable. — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 12 May 2022 There's no dialogue at all, although the visuals are as striking as always. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 10 May 2022 In Plato’s dialogue, Socrates begins by debating the nature of justice. — New York Times, 10 May 2022 While there is no dialogue in the clip, shots of a crumbling, dystopic New York City suggest tumultuous storylines to come. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2022 The characters of Avis DeVoto (Bebe Neuwirth), Child’s best friend, and Blanche Knopf (Judith Light), Child’s publisher, have emotional heft, gravitas and heapings of snappy dialogue. — Tara Ellison, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb How might our politics look different if sincerity claims were an invitation to dialogue rather than a conversation-stopper? — Charles Mccrary, The New Republic, 4 Apr. 2022 Be sure to regularly dialogue with your employees about stress management and burnout, formally through surveys and informally through check-ins. — Naz Beheshti, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2022 In behind-the-scenes footage shared to her Story, El Moussa and Richards lip synched along to dialogue from her Netflix show. — Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE.com, 4 Feb. 2022 There will be time at the end of the program for audience members to dialogue with the performers. — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2021 Typically done after a project is completed, snapshots enable managers to dialogue with employees about their performance while the project is still top of mind. — Lisa Bodell, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2021 Who knows, had Korach and his group agreed to seriously dialogue with Moses, Moses might have calmed them down. — Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 7 June 2021 Korach’s cohorts also refused to dialogue with Moses (16:12). — Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 7 June 2021 Across the border in Mali, the country’s transitional government has signaled openness to dialogue with insurgents. — Shola Lawal, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Apr. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dialogue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.