DISCOVERY AND DIALECTIC
abstract
Logics of scientific discovery and dialectical logics both attempt to legitimize inference to an explanation. What is a neglected key for their success, I argue, is a theory of correction. Concentrating on Hegel's logic, I show that dialectical reasoning is analogous to that whereby a new hypothesis is inferred from a conjunction of an antecedent hypothesis and the explanandum. This requires treating each Hegelian category as a composite of its actual meaning, its intended meaning and its current articulation. I conclude with a discussion of what has prevented philosophers on both sides of this issue from appreciating their common ground.