“What Is Dialectic?” (essay)
E346763
“What Is Dialectic?” is a philosophical essay by Karl Popper, included in his collection *Conjectures and Refutations*, in which he critically examines the concept and method of dialectic in philosophy.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| “What Is Dialectic?” (essay) canonical | 1 |
How this entity was disambiguated
This entity first appeared as the object of triple T3318492 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.
NED1
Entity disambiguation (via context triple)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: “What Is Dialectic?” (essay) Context triple: [Conjectures and Refutations, hasPart, “What Is Dialectic?” (essay)]
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A.
Critique of Dialectical Reason
Critique of Dialectical Reason is a major philosophical work by Jean-Paul Sartre that attempts to reconcile existentialism with Marxism through an analysis of history, freedom, and social structures.
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B.
Hegelian dialectics
Hegelian dialectics is a philosophical framework developed by G.W.F. Hegel that explains historical and conceptual development through the dynamic process of contradiction and resolution, often summarized as thesis–antithesis–synthesis.
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C.
Negative Dialectics
Negative Dialectics is a major work of critical philosophy by Theodor W. Adorno that challenges traditional notions of identity and systematic thought by emphasizing contradiction, non-identity, and the limits of conceptual thinking.
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D.
A New Critique of Theoretical Thought
A New Critique of Theoretical Thought is a major philosophical work by Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd that presents his reformational critique of Western theoretical thought and develops his influential modal theory of reality.
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E.
The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
The Dictatorship of Reason in the West is the subtitle of John Ralston Saul’s book "Voltaire’s Bastards," which critiques how Western societies have elevated rationalism and technocratic thinking above ethics, common sense, and democratic values.
- F. None of above. chosen
- G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.
NED2
Entity disambiguation (via description)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: “What Is Dialectic?” (essay) Target entity description: “What Is Dialectic?” is a philosophical essay by Karl Popper, included in his collection *Conjectures and Refutations*, in which he critically examines the concept and method of dialectic in philosophy.
-
A.
Critique of Dialectical Reason
Critique of Dialectical Reason is a major philosophical work by Jean-Paul Sartre that attempts to reconcile existentialism with Marxism through an analysis of history, freedom, and social structures.
-
B.
Hegelian dialectics
Hegelian dialectics is a philosophical framework developed by G.W.F. Hegel that explains historical and conceptual development through the dynamic process of contradiction and resolution, often summarized as thesis–antithesis–synthesis.
-
C.
Negative Dialectics
Negative Dialectics is a major work of critical philosophy by Theodor W. Adorno that challenges traditional notions of identity and systematic thought by emphasizing contradiction, non-identity, and the limits of conceptual thinking.
-
D.
A New Critique of Theoretical Thought
A New Critique of Theoretical Thought is a major philosophical work by Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd that presents his reformational critique of Western theoretical thought and develops his influential modal theory of reality.
-
E.
The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
The Dictatorship of Reason in the West is the subtitle of John Ralston Saul’s book "Voltaire’s Bastards," which critiques how Western societies have elevated rationalism and technocratic thinking above ethics, common sense, and democratic values.
- F. None of above. chosen
Statements (43)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
essay
ⓘ
philosophical essay ⓘ |
| arguesAgainst |
historicist uses of dialectic
ⓘ
relativist interpretations of dialectic ⓘ |
| author | Karl Popper ⓘ |
| collection |
Conjectures and Refutations
ⓘ
surface form:
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge
|
| countryOfOrigin | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| criticizes |
Hegelian dialectics
ⓘ
surface form:
Hegelian logic
acceptance of contradictions in logic ⓘ dialectical logic ⓘ use of dialectic to justify contradictions ⓘ |
| genre | philosophy ⓘ |
| hasAuthorPosition |
dialectic is dangerous when used to defend contradictions
ⓘ
scientific progress depends on criticism rather than dialectical synthesis ⓘ |
| includedIn | Conjectures and Refutations ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainTopic |
Hegelian dialectics
ⓘ
surface form:
Hegelian dialectic
Marxist dialectic ⓘ critical rationalism ⓘ dialectic ⓘ logic ⓘ methodology of philosophy ⓘ scientific method ⓘ |
| notableFor |
Popper's critique of dialectical reasoning
ⓘ
contrast between dialectic and critical method ⓘ defense of non-contradiction ⓘ |
| philosophicalApproachAdvocated |
critical discussion
ⓘ
critical rationalism ⓘ fallibilism ⓘ |
| philosophicalDomain |
epistemology
ⓘ
logic ⓘ philosophy of science ⓘ |
| philosophicalTraditionCritiqued |
Hegelian dialectics
ⓘ
surface form:
Hegelianism
Marxism ⓘ historical materialism ⓘ
surface form:
dialectical materialism
|
| positionHeldInCollection | essay in Conjectures and Refutations ⓘ |
| publicationCollectionAuthor | Karl Popper ⓘ |
| relatedWorkOfAuthor |
The Logic of Scientific Discovery
ⓘ
The Open Society and Its Enemies ⓘ |
| supports |
classical logic
ⓘ
law of non-contradiction ⓘ scientific criticism ⓘ |
| workIn | Popper's critical rationalism corpus ⓘ |
How these facts were elicited
The pipeline generated the facts above by prompting gpt-5.1 with this entity's name + description and the instruction below.
Instruction
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Input
Subject: “What Is Dialectic?” (essay) Description of subject: “What Is Dialectic?” is a philosophical essay by Karl Popper, included in his collection *Conjectures and Refutations*, in which he critically examines the concept and method of dialectic in philosophy.
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.