Eristic

Eristics (derived from Greek eristiké ( téchne )) is the doctrine of the dispute and the art of refutation in a discussion or debate. The term is found in this context, in philosophy and rhetoric.

Antiquity

In Greek mythology, Eris was the goddess of discord and strife. Used within the philosophy of antiquity, Plato and Aristotle eristics as a term for the scientific controversy, in particular but also for arguing for the sake of being right. So you thought developed by the Sophists dialogue technique by which - for example, in court battle - proven everything, or everything could be refuted. Plato favored instead as justified reasoning method developed by Zeno of Elea dialectic. Aristotle assessed the eristics also negative and counted the eristic syllogism to the Sophismata ( fallacies ).

The Megarians, the followers of Socrates student Euclid of Megara, were also referred to as Eristiker. Of these, the earliest studies on the formal logic derived, so far as the term eristics in connection with the ancient philosophy is not only a negative connotation. He also refers to a structure of the valid proof and its refutation.

Modern Times

1864 Eristic dialectic of Arthur Schopenhauer was published posthumously. The work, subtitled The art of being right contains 38 rhetorical stratagems.

The plant has an ironic undertone: It wants to give them the necessary skills in order to emerge in a discussion in each case as the winner, regardless of whether one's position corresponds to the truth, and without regard to consistency or fairness of the adversary. Schopenhauer compares the argument with a sword fight, in which the objective is to defeat the opponent with the skills learned, and not to peacefully work out some or at least facts. The whole concept can be understood as a critique of Schopenhauer on the discussion style of his academic contemporaries who already use these resources, so that it is necessary in self-defense, also to resort to this.