The purpose of the dialectic is not to prove or disprove a particular point; rather, it’s to explore all possibilities, with both of the participants in the conversation eventually reaching a new level of understanding. Were the focus of the conversation to be on one person being “right,” this would imply a pre-existing awareness of what’s correct and what’s not. In other words, it would run in sharp contrast to Socrates’ position that he “knows that he knows nothing.” There is, perhaps, much to be gained in our modern world (full as it is full of conflict) from adopting the Socratic approach
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