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Discussion published In:
Language and Dialogue
Vol. 11:3 (2021) ► pp.457–486
Discussion article

Dialogue

The complex whole

| University of Münster , Germany

The article unfolds dialogue as the complex whole of human action and behaviour in the theory of New Science. The actual state of research in dialogue analysis seems to be a garden of a thousand flowers where scholars can pick out the flower they like. Can this be science? New Science is introduced as science of complexity which represents a new hierarchy of integrated components derived from the complex whole. The structure of dialogue as the complex whole allows us to describe and explain all pertinent components in one theory. The article briefly outlines the main components: action and grammar. New Science also means the end of unjustified assumptions which underlie most of the various current models of science and philosophy and calls for verification by neuro- and sociobiology.

Keywords: science, New Science, complexity, dialogue, integration, action, grammar, speaking, thinking, perceiving, pragmatics, discourse, verification, neurobiology
Article outline
  • 1.The ‘thing’ we want to find out
  • 2.From classical science to New Science
    • Starting point
    • The object
    • Goal
    • Methodology
    • The key to opening up the complex whole
    • The role of data
    • Why to proceed from the simple to the complex
  • 3.Human nature as structuring principle
  • 4.The complex whole of the action game
    • 4.1Fundamentals
    • 4.2Abandoning and redefining traditional concepts
  • 5.The basic structure of action
  • 6.Grammar in New Science
    • 6.1Fundamentals of an utterance grammar
    • 6.2Reference and predication as components
  • 7.The challenge of humanity: Uniting science and philosophy
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 5 October 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00106.wei
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