Excursus 009 – On Induction, Deduction, and the Syllogistic Structure of Aristotle

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 06 – 30 In Aristotle’s theory of demonstrative science (epistēmē apodeiktikē), knowledge arises through necessary reasoning from first principles (archai). These principles are grasped intuitively by nous and form the foundation from which other propositions follow through deduction. The following outline summarizes the Aristotelian system of deductive reasoning: InContinue reading “Excursus 009 – On Induction, Deduction, and the Syllogistic Structure of Aristotle”

Excursus 007 – On the Term “Notion” (Notio) in Bacon and Aristotle

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 06 – 30 Bacon’s use of notio (“notion”) retained the Aristotelian conception of a form in the soul or intellect (μορφή ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ), yet fundamentally transformed its epistemological function. In Aristotelian psychology and logic, a notion denoted the intellect’s grasp of the universal—an abstraction derived from sense perceptionContinue reading “Excursus 007 – On the Term “Notion” (Notio) in Bacon and Aristotle”

Excursus 004 – On Bacon’s Use of the Term Dialectic

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 06 – 30 In the Novum Organum (1620), Bacon employs the terms “dialectic” and “dialectical” in a specifically syllogistic sense: a scholastic structure of reasoning that proceeds syllogistically from received axioms. The term therefore designates a formal apparatus of argumentation—major premise, minor premise, and conclusion—rather than dialogical exchange orContinue reading “Excursus 004 – On Bacon’s Use of the Term Dialectic”

Excursus 002 – On Axiom and First Principles in Aristotle, Euclid, and Bacon

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 06 – 30 The history of the term axioma illustrates an important transformation in the foundations of knowledge, culminating in Francis Bacon’s redefinition of axioms as products of induction rather than self-evident truths. The Greek term ἀξίωμα (axiōma) was employed by both Aristotle and Euclid, yet with markedly differentContinue reading “Excursus 002 – On Axiom and First Principles in Aristotle, Euclid, and Bacon”

Excursus 001 – On the Organon and the Novum Organum

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 06 – 30 Francis Bacon’s Instauratio magna (1620) is often regarded as the manifesto of the early modern scientific revolution. Less frequently noticed is that its six-part structure was deliberately modeled on Aristotle’s Organon. Bacon’s Instauratio magna (“Great Renewal”) was conceived in deliberate correspondence with Aristotle’s Organon (“Instrument”), theContinue reading “Excursus 001 – On the Organon and the Novum Organum”