From "Monologue" To "Dialogue"

"Dialogue" is the original meaning in dialectics, which embodies in the practical wisdom of"the delivery operation of spirit"of Socrates. However, in the two thousand years'philosophy tradition, dialectics and metaphysics got entangled and dialectics is controlled by the mode of thinking—absolute "identity" within the meaning of metaphysical entity. And it gradually turned to monologue from dialogue. In the face of the twentieth century philosophy of "linguistic turn" and its criticism on traditional metaphysics and dialectics, the dialectics had begun to examine closely the situation of its own theory, to re-examine its own nature of theory, sort out its own task of theory. The philosophical interpretation of Gadamer, the universal pragmatics of Habermas, the theory of "dialogue" and the sense of "dialogue" in other philosophy of the twentieth century, all these provided a very good turning point for the return of "dialogue" and the re-establishment of its own theory aims and spirits. Of course, the picking up the dialectics of "dialogue" does not mean the simple "return" to the meaning of the ancient Greek dialectics; it is to face the unique "sense of question" of the contemporary philosophy; to have a new thinking about the theory intension of dialectics in the horizon of "Linguistic Turn". Only in this way, the theory of dialectics can have a new life in contemporary time. At the same time, the original spirits of equality, tolerance and openness of dialectics can be fully demonstrated.From Socrates "spirit of the delivery operation" to Plato's dialectics and Hegel's dialectics of conception, dialectics experienced the course of"From Dialogue to Monologue". In Hegel's philosophy, metaphysics based on dialectics has reached its final glory, and the dialectics also won the most sophisticated forms of expression. However, at the wonderful end of the coexistence of dialectics and metaphysics, the nature and life of dialectics has been mercilessly killed. From the dialectics of "dialogue" to "monologue", the change is inevitable. That is, dialectics and "ontology of entity" are linked from beginning to end. As well as the thinking of metaphysics is through the development of the theory of dialectics. As the mission of the so-called "ontological entity" is to find an ultimate "entities" that is maximum "success" and the highest "identity", and it is the foundation according to which ultimate meaning of life and existing of the world. In the influence of "ontological entity", Western philosophy gradually accumulated into a deep-rooted ways of thinking, that is, the metaphysical way of thinking entity. It reflects the main features of the theory: (1) Essentialism and foundationalism which pursuit the "Essence in the first". Traditional metaphysics has always regarded to capture the highest "essence" of the world as its ultimate mission, and it wanted to make the ultimate description about world's "Being" once and for all. (2) Way of thinking in knowledge and knowledge-oriented think-centrism which pursuit the "knowledge-ultimate" and "absolute truth". That is the theory of trying to capture the absolution, unconditional ultimate knowledge and the highest body and the concept of logic. So, getting the concept of existence is the only way to explain the world. (3) Simplification and reduction which pursuit subject-object dichotomy. In order to obtain the principle of the world's final unity, traditional metaphysics separate the world firstly, to create a series of binary opposition, such as the idea of the world and the phenomenon of the world, the real world and illusion of the world, the rational world and emotional world, and so on . Not only that, the former was based on the latter. (4) Identity way of thinking which rejects "dialogue". As the philosophy of "ontology of entity" sticks to the intellectual way of thinking, thus pursuit of "identity" becomes the most powerful and lasting impulse, which is bound to lead to a "monologue" way of thinking.In the influence of "ontological entity" and its "identity" way of thinking, the most essential features of "Monologue" is its "identity", as a result, it has forgotten and ignored the difference, heterogeneity and objectivity. Just because of this "monologue", dialectics has been put into a contradictory situation. Though dialectics and metaphysics are two different kinds of paradigms theories and ways of thinking in nature, they have always been in a tangle that cannot be overcome in the history of philosophy: the inherent argument and mutual support. The causes that dialectics is in deep-seated contradictions are not only supporting each other but also mutual entanglement. On the one hand, as the conflict, negative, critical force of dialectics, it is always to try to break through and beyond the traditional framework of metaphysical theory. On the other hand, dialectics is always "Tamed "by the metaphysics as the result of not shaking off the "identity way of thinking". Because of the contradiction relationship between them, it is difficult for dialectics to shake off the dualistic subjective or objective way of thinking, and it is difficult to avoid alienating and forgetting "real world", even it is more difficult to realize a comprehensive understanding of the existence of people. As a result, how to find a suitable way to overcome the traditional plight of theory, and how to save dialectics from the "monologue" of traditional ontological entity has become our duty-bound thinking tasks.It has provided an excellent turning point to break through and surmounted the traditional metaphysics that modern western philosophy criticizes the "monologue" of traditional dialectics and shows the dimension of "dialogue" in dialectics based on the "linguistic turn". The occurrence of "linguistic turn" is from unprecedented importance on the "language" for philosophers. Philosophers are concerned about the language for a long time. However, the former philosophers did not give any special attention to language but studied it as a medium between the mind and the world.Until the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, with "linguistic turn", the language problem—one of the important issues cared by the philosopher became the "center" of philosophy. The situation is as follows: If "linguistic turn" doesn't occur in any kind of philosophy, it may be incredible. "Linguistic turn" is a typical incident for the modern Western philosophy. Analysis philosophy or humanistic philosophy is involved in it more or less. And even some schools of thought prefer it. Analysis philosophy of language, pragmatics, phenomenology and hermeneutics, they reflect and criticize traditional metaphysics and dialectics, which had a profound impact on the development of the theory about dialectics.According to the view of Anglo-American analysis philosophy, dialectics is the language confusion and chaos of thinking caused by the misuse of language, so it is necessary to give a firm "reject". Logical positivism has two basic standards that judge if the ideas or theories are meaningful with the experience of the "verifiable" and "no contradiction" of formal logic .The language of dialectics and the way of thinking of dialectics have become a false issue because of "misuse" of the language. Wittgenstein came to a conclusion that the issue of metaphysics and dialectics is in the field of non-existence or non-experience through reflection of the traditional metaphysics in the "language of images". So we should keep silent about it. Modern pragmatics, phenomenology and hermeneutics also reject the position of "entity ontology" and application of metaphysical language. They give one kind of new make of language. According to Habermas'universal pragmatics, it must appeal to the subjectivity of good faith, freedom and equal "dialogue" in order to reach a "consensus on non-mandatory" it must meet the three conditions: "words and deeds", "acts of completion-position" and "language games".Heidegger was against metaphysics and dialectics by phenomenology - hermeneutics. He believed that the fundamental error of traditional metaphysics was that the "being" had become" existor" which led to forget the "existence" and "language". The subject + verb structure in western language led western philosophy into the metaphysics of physical - Attributes. Hegel's dialectics is to use the "conceptualized" language, which domesticate thinking through metaphysics and logic of the concept and make the" monologue" of dialectics develop to the extreme. According to Gadamer, although Hegel's dialectics about concept in "dialectical movement" had dispelled the "entity" features of" ontology " to a certain extent, he still regarded "self-movement" of " absolute idea" as "Ontology", which is ontology self-tame. In order to overcome the "self-tame" and the result of "Monologue" features, we must seek an ideology of freedom, and it is necessary for us to go beyond the traditional language of dialectics. By excavation and restoration to the source of "dialogue", we can return to Socrates'dialectics which has revealed the significance of "dialogue".Facing the self-examination and criticism on the traditional dialectics of the modern philosophy, the dialectics on dialogue must examine closely its own theoretical situation again if it wants to regain the room to exist. And it should bases on this to examine itself its own theoretical basis, sort its theoretical intension, and establish its own theoretical aim. The Gadamer believed that the language is not"one kind of the subjective apparatus"and we cannot solve the problem which the language and the dialectics have faced by one kind"the fabricated language rational structure". He advocated that"the spoken language", one kind of living, contacted language, overcome"metaphysics utilization"of the language. This kind of living and"spoken language"is"the dialog". Gadamer regarded"the dialogue"as the foundational status and the significance:"the existence which can be understood is the language", but the language only exists in"the dialog". Therefore,"the dialogue"is not one kind of simple activity of spoken language, but becomes the basic mode which the human depend on in the life world and social life. The dialog materially is the foundational, the endogenous survival activity for human which becomes one way of truth in the ontology significance. In the dialogue, you and I listen to each other attentively, are open mutually, so truth can be presented in the"free","non-compulsory"dialog. Through mutual dialogue and mutual recognition between the people, it strengthens people's free association and people's unity unceasingly, which can expedite and create one kind of freedom, democracy and opening life community. This is the fundamental purpose of dialectics theory on dialogue.The modern society is one world of"removal of magic". The respect to difference, the summons to equality, showing tolerant and open, these are modern society's spirit. Equality, tolerance and openness are the rational spirits that dialectics on dialogue should have. Follow the modern philosophy and be against to traditional metaphysics, the identity of traditional philosophy collapses loudly. The entity of ontology, the idea, the absolute spirit and so on is impossible to take on the duty that establishes a consensus, unites the people. Dialectics on dialogue undertakes the historical mission for rational life of the modern society. It devotes to achieve some kind of"the non-compulsory mutual recognition"through free, equal dialogue between person and person. It devotes to promote"the friendship"and promote"the unity"of social life community. Not only this indicated that it had already realized to take"the entity ontology"and be out of a metaphysical struggle but also indicated that the dialectics has already established the relation with"the life world". Dialectics on dialogue causes to promote equal spirit inevitably by repelling"the identity", acknowledging others and subverting host-guest relations of traditional metaphysics. It should make the dialectics'spirit of tolerance to spread out by respecting the difference, the non-uniformity. Dialogue'features of the infinity, the procedure and of the unfinished facilitate showing its opening spirit.