Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 27 Dialectics may be understood as a method for apprehending movement, contradiction, change, and the plurality of reality. In this sense, it serves as a heuristic framework for inquiry rather than as a substitute for empirical explanation. The distinction resembles the relationship between hypothesis formation and scientificContinue reading “Excursus 120 – On Dialectics as a Heuristic Rather than an Explanation”
Author Archives: Hossein Jorjani
Excursus 119 – On the Many Meanings of “Empirical”
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 23 The terms empirical, empiricism, and their derivatives have acquired multiple meanings throughout the history of philosophy and science. Although these meanings are historically related, they are not identical. Consequently, the mere assertion that a claim is “empirical” does not, by itself, specify either the method byContinue reading “Excursus 119 – On the Many Meanings of “Empirical””
Excursus 118 – On the Metaphysical and Historical Senses of Materialism
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 23 The term materialism has been used in philosophy in several distinct senses, and failure to distinguish them has been a frequent source of confusion. In metaphysical (or ontological) materialism, represented classically by Hobbes, materialism is a theory of reality. It holds that only material substance existsContinue reading “Excursus 118 – On the Metaphysical and Historical Senses of Materialism”
Excursus 117 – On Dialectic as Method and as Ontology
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 23 Dialectic has not always meant the same thing. In its classical Greek form, particularly in the Socratic and Platonic traditions, dialectic was primarily an epistemological method. Through questioning, comparison, and the examination of opposing viewpoints, it served to clarify concepts, expose hidden assumptions, and test theContinue reading “Excursus 117 – On Dialectic as Method and as Ontology”
Excursus 116 – On the Origin of Marx’s Concept of Alienation
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 23 Marx did not invent the concept of alienation (Entfremdung). Rather, he inherited it through the German philosophical tradition and fundamentally transformed its meaning. The immediate philosophical source was Hegel, for whom alienation (Entäußerung or Entfremdung) denoted the externalization of Spirit. In Hegel’s system, Spirit objectifies itselfContinue reading “Excursus 116 – On the Origin of Marx’s Concept of Alienation”
Excursus 115 – On Reading Earlier Philosophers Through Later Traditions
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 08 Throughout the history of ideas, later intellectual traditions have frequently interpreted earlier thinkers through conceptual frameworks that arose only afterwards. Such reinterpretations may illuminate genuine continuities, but they may also obscure important differences by attributing to earlier authors concepts, intentions, or doctrines that belong primarily toContinue reading “Excursus 115 – On Reading Earlier Philosophers Through Later Traditions”
Excursus 114 – On Darwin-independent Reconstruction of Evolution
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 15 Darwin’s historical achievement was to synthesize evidence from several branches of biology into a coherent theory of evolution by common descent. This historical fact, however, should not be confused with an epistemological necessity. A scientific theory may be said to be Darwin-independent if its principal conceptualContinue reading “Excursus 114 – On Darwin-independent Reconstruction of Evolution”
Excursus 113 – On Illustrative and Demonstrative Examples
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 22 Hegel was one of the most original and influential philosophers in the history of Western thought. His intellectual ambition was extraordinary, and many of his ideas stimulated generations of philosophers, including some of his severest critics. Yet originality alone does not guarantee methodological precision. While readingContinue reading “Excursus 113 – On Illustrative and Demonstrative Examples”
Excursus 112 – On Closed and Open Dialectics
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 08 One question repeatedly arose while reading Gurvitch’s critique of Plato and Plotinus: Can one consistently be both a dialectician and a believer in God? The question, however, becomes more illuminating when reformulated. The decisive issue is not whether one believes in God, but what kind ofContinue reading “Excursus 112 – On Closed and Open Dialectics”
Excursus 111 – On Ultimate Unifying Principles
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 08 One of the recurring features of the history of philosophy is the search for an ultimate principle capable of unifying the diversity of reality. Although different philosophical systems identify this principle in different ways, many assign to it a comparable structural role: it serves as theContinue reading “Excursus 111 – On Ultimate Unifying Principles”
