Manolis Dafermos

This book provides a thorough and panoramic exploration of dialectics, presenting it as both a mode of thought and a method of inquiry deeply embedded in the history of human thought. Rather than treating dialectics as a fixed system of abstract principles, the book underscores both its dynamic character and its historical development. Through careful examination of pivotal moments in dialectics across diverse historical periods and intellectual traditions, the book illuminates how dialectics has continually evolved to address the pressing intellectual and social challenges of each era. By tracing the historical trajectory of dialectics from its ancient, spontaneous forms to its modern expressions, the book highlights the significant transformations it has undergone over time. The book also addresses the growing crisis in many fields dominated by reductionist and narrowly empirical approaches, which have proved inadequate for capturing the complexity and dynamism of developmental processes. In response, it points to a resurgence of interest in dialectics as a powerful methodological alternative. A central claim of the book is that the full potential of dialectics remains largely unrealised. Far from being an obsolete relic of the past, dialectics emerges as an essential method, particularly for the study of complex, dynamic systems. Ultimately, the book reconstructs the historical trajectory of dialectics and advocates its vital role in confronting the epistemological and methodological challenges of contemporary inquiry in an ever-changing world.

This chapter explores the philosophical underpinnings of cultural-historical theory. More precisely, this chapter traces the philosophical roots of Vygotsky’s theory by focusing mainly on the philosophical ideas of Spinoza[aut]Spinoza, Baruch, Hegel[aut]Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, Feuerbach[aut]Feuerbach, Ludwig, and Marx. Vygotsky found the roots of the crisis in psychologyCrisis in psychology in the failure of Cartesian dualismDualismCartesian that was the dominant tendency in the domain of psychology. He was looking for a philosophical theory which allows a radically new look at the key theoretical, methodological, and practical issues raised in psychology as a discipline.

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 Methodlogical and historical. The chapter includes also a reflection on the dialectical Methoddialectical and its application to psychology in the USSR.

The chapter turns to the period of the formation of Vygotsky’s theory. In the last few years of his life, Vygotsky was not satisfied with the level of development of his own theory. He reformulated his own theory in order to respond to the theoretical and practical challenges that arose in the process of his development both as a scholar and practitioner. Vygotsky developed a set of new concepts such as a psychological systemPsychological system, meaningMeaning and senseSense, perezhivanieSystempsychological, the social situation of developmentDevelopmentsocial situation of, the crisis that enabled him to investigate consciousnessConsciousness and cultural development in a new light. During that period, serious tensions and disagreements appeared within Vygotsky’s circle on important theoretical and methodological issues, first of all, about the relation between consciousness and activity.

The chapter explores the enigma of Creativity in science on the basis of the study of Vygotsky’s case. The chapter proposes the examination of several shifts in contemporary creativity research focusing on the need to develop a dialectical framework. Vygotsky’s life course and the development of his theory are examined as a unique case of Creativity in science that should be investigated in a broader social and historical context. Vygotsky’s creative development is a complex, multidimensional, dynamic phenomena. The chapter discusses several facets of Vygotsky’s creative development: the links between the Social commitment and the production of new knowledge, the relations between the crises and creativity, the potential for a critical Dialogue, the significance of collaborative, shared Actionshared, the significance of the unity of theory and social Practice, the interrelations between classic and romantic Scienceromantic, the role of the images of the future for social and scientific change.

This chapter[aut]Vysotsky, Vladimir turns to the period of the primary appearance of cultural-historical theoryCultural-historical theory. The study of the role of signSign mediating activityActivitymediating in the cultural developmentCultural development of higher mental functions marks the primary appearance of cultural-historical theory. Cultural developmentCultural development was examined by Vygotsky as a distinct line of development in relation to biological-evolutionary development. Vygotsky and his colleagues developed an experimental-geneticMethodexperimental-genetic (or genetical)method for the investigation of the development of higher mental functionsMental functionshigher. Establishing a concrete human psychologyPsychologyhuman in terms of drama served as a way for the theoretical and methodological refoundation of psychology as a discipline.

The chapter offers an account of the prehistory of Vygotsky’s theory. More concretely, the chapter provokes an engagement with the conceptual and methodological issues that arose in Vygotsky’s creative development before the emergence of cultural-historical theory. Here is analyzed the shift in Vygotsky’s world-view orientation from subjectivismSubjectivism to natural-scientific, objective analysisAnalysis of consciousnessConsciousness. Having passed through reflexology and behaviorismBehaviorism, Vygotsky never identified himself fully with these approaches due to his humanitarian education. It is proposed that Vygotsky’s effort to transcend the divide between objectivism and subjectivism as an essential dimension of the crisis in psychologyCrisis in psychology can be examined as an attempt to overcome contradictionsContradiction in his own research.

This chapter is dedicated to the Analysis of the historical and scientific background of the genesis of cultural-historical theory. It is proposed to conceptualize Vygotsky’s theory in the broader context of the History of psychology and philosophy. Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of the crisis of psychology and its various interpretations which were carried out in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is argued that the tension between Objectivism and Subjectivism can be considered as one of the most important expressions of the Crisis in psychology. The chapter includes also an account of an intriguing discussion on crisis and the ways to overcome it in Soviet PhilosophySoviet and psychology in 1920s.

This chapter provides a broad overview of the theoretical and methodological background of the book. It is argued that the fragmentationFragmentation and decontextulization of Vygotsky’s theory constitutes an obstacle to its understanding and further development. It is proposed that a dialectical perspective to Vygotsky’s theory offers a new framework for its critical reflectionCritical reflection as a developing research programResearch program in the broader landscape of the history of scienceHistory of science and philosophy. Dialectic as a way of thinking focused on the investigation of the development of Vygotsky’s theory through the prism of its internal contradictionsContradiction in terms of a drama of ideas.

This chapter takes as its point of departure[aut]MandelstamOsip the view that Vygotsky’s theory should be recontextualized and fundamentally developed as part of a much larger set of major questions arising in the early twenty-first century. It is argued that dialectics can shed light on the way to move beyond both the dogmatic and relativist forms of the reception of Vygotsky’s legacy. Rethinking Vygotsky’s project, taking into account the contemporary crisis in social sciencesSciencesocial that were reproduced in a society riven by deep crises and conflictsConflict, is an important step in this direction. Bringing together theory and practice in a dialectical way Vygotsky’s project is internally connected with an active engagement in the struggle for social emancipation.

The chapter proposes a preliminary delineation of Vygotsky’s theory. More concretely, the chapter addresses the question of the core subject matters in Vygotsky’s creative laboratory. It is argued that Consciousness was the core subject matter of Vygotsky’s investigation during different stages of his Life course. This key problem in Vygotsky’s creative laboratory has been ignored in the domain of psychology as well as in the contemporary Vygotskian academy. Vygotsky was also grappling with the issue of development from a cultural-historical perspective. In the same chapter, the debate about the periodization of the development of Vygotsky’s theory is considered critically. The treatment of Vygotsky’s theory in historical perspective is also proposed as a developing research project.

The purpose of this study is to map the medicalisation of learning difficulties in the remote and mountainous areas in Chania Prefecture, Crete, when pupils are referred to Diagnostic Institutes to be assessed and possibly receive a learning difficulty diagnosis. It provides evidence on the fact that the learning difficulties identification procedure tends to be individually oriented and to neglect contextual dimensions, as well as the interactions between them, particularly in light of the consequences of the socioeconomic crisis in Greece. The remote and mountainous areas in Chania Prefecture, Crete, serve as a case study. Educational documents, archives, newspapers, and laws are examined, and six semi-structured interviews are conducted and analysed. The analysis yields two core themes: a. Exaggerated diagnoses: a compensatory tool and b. The emergence of the environment of the contexts: the impacts of the socioeconomic crisis. As an outcome of the analysis, it occurs that the medicalisation of learning difficulties appears to impose an obstacle to the detection of the deeper systemic, social, and political causes of these difficulties. It may also fail to sufficiently address the needs of the involved parts, namely pupils, parents, and schools. Given the implications arising from the study that indicate the systemic nature and influences of learning difficulties, the necessity for a transition towards a bioecological approach is discussed.

This book is an exploration of science in the making. It offers readers the opportunity to critically reflect on the process of development of Vygotsky's research program from the perspective of dialectics, focusing on the dramatic process of building and rebuilding cultural historical theory. Vygotsky's creative and dramatic journey is no less important than the concrete results of his research. An epistemological and historical investigation of the formulation of cultural historical theory sheds light on the process of knowledge production and reveals hidden dimensions of creativity in science.