[ebepse]

"when a person starts on the discovery of the absolute by the light of reason only, and w/o any assistance of sense, and perseveres until by pure intelligence he arrives at the perception of the absolute good, he at last finds himself at the end of the intellectual world. . . . dialectic, and dialectic alone, goes directly to the first principle and is the only science which does away with hypotheses in order to make her ground secure."

here, Plato indicates how hypothetical knowledge cannot provide the foundation of dialectical knowledge, insofar as hypotheses simply do which of the following?

(a) explain sense experiences in terms of general concepts which themselves are not explained.
(b) show how particular objects of experience cause us to recall innate ideas.
(c) describe sense experience without providing an explanation for dialectical methods.
(d) reject the use of reason, preferring instead dialectic, to achieve knowledge.