Dialectic and the Emergence of Explicit Metaphysics

David Oyler

I am going to sketch the personal role of dialectic in the emergence of explicit metaphysics. Of necessity, it is a sketch since a full account would require more than an essay. If we consider the full sweep of Lonergan’s views on dialectic and your own personal appropriation of dialectic and metaphysics, it is also a sketch because I account for, but do not provide an account of, either one of those. You are responsible for the latter. Other philosophers and theologians are responsible for the former. I will provide a very brief indication of the former which will help me situate the questions I am pursuing here.