Engines of Dialectic

Abstract

Hegel’s idea of dialectic has permeated much of our thinking, especially in the guise of a process of development, and hence it is important to understand it. This paper suggests three things. First, there is more agreement between Hegel’s deepest ideas and those of Dooyeweerd than at first might be expected. We find that Hegel is reaching towards what Dooyeweerd takes as his starting point. Therefore, second, applying Dooyeweerd’s ideas can enrich Hegel’s and suggest three fundamentally different types of dialectic. Third, Dooyeweerd’s concept of irreducible aspects provides an explanation of the dialectic process: an engine, and one that has advantages over other proposals. This is illustrated with the development of environmental thinking.