Developing a Dialectical Perspective on Vygotsky’s Theory

Abstract

The chapter proposes an alternative, dialectical reading of Vygotsky’s theory that may help us better understand its philosophical underpinnings. The chapter starts with a brief sketch of the history of dialectics. Αn attempt will be made to define dialectics and its main historical forms. Then, three key methodological issues of dialectics will be examined and its relations to Vygotsky’s theory: the relation between essence and phenomenon, the ascent from the abstract to the concrete and its relation to the movement of thinking from the sensory concrete to the abstract and the relation between the logical and historical method. The chapter includes also a reflection on the dialectical method and its application to psychology in the USSR.