Instead of limiting himself to postulating two discontinuous types of thought, autistic and logical, Piaget studied transitional forms, thereby placing autistic and logical thought on a developmental continuum. Nevertheless, the discovery of transitional forms did not lessen the opposition between the two extremes of autistic and logical thought.…

Describes an early formative period in Piaget's life, in which three themes stand out. First, Piaget was introduced to the concept of "autistic" or nonrational thought. Second, Piaget's philosophical education sensitized him to the role of logic in thought. Third, Piaget's exposure to biological taxonomy alerted him to look for…

Suggests that although Piaget's psychological theory is developmental and dialectical in a general way, the lack of a developed philosophical basis leads to the subordination of a dialectical approach to static, anti-dialectical concepts. Hegel's theory of interaction and contradiction is examined to show that dialectical theory has a precise…