Structure

The Three Dialogues are, as the name suggests, divided into three dialogues, each of which indicate a separate day of discussion between Hylas and Philonous. Each dialogue starts out with Hylas, having reflected on the topics discussed since the day before, admitting that he knows even less than he did before. As such, the Dialogues shows the process of Hylas’s beliefs and convictions being stripped away, until the Third Dialogue, where Philonous builds up a new philosophical system.

In each of the three dialogues, a single major philosophical conclusion is reached at the end, though many important principles and sub-conclusions are also established along the way. These principles are not reached through extended philosophical analysis or logical demonstration. Instead, the dialogues consist of back-and-forth discussions between Hylas and Philonous, with short lines of dialogue exchanged. From this conversation, specific logical demonstrations and theories arise. This strategy...