classification – Hossein Jorjani

Excursus 106 – Platonic and Aristotelian Essentialism in the Light of Continuous Variation

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 20 Modern discussions of essentialism often blur an important distinction between Plato and Aristotle. Although both philosophers are commonly described as essentialists, they understood the location and nature of essences in fundamentally different ways. For Plato, the essence of a thing does not belong to the individualContinue reading “Excursus 106 – Platonic and Aristotelian Essentialism in the Light of Continuous Variation”

Excursus 052 – On the Retrospective Expansion of Historical Concepts

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 18 Concepts are often coined to describe particular historical forms. As their explanatory success increases, they tend to expand retrospectively until they encompass earlier phenomena sharing only some of the defining characteristics of the original concept. Such expansion may be analytically useful, provided it is recognized asContinue reading “Excursus 052 – On the Retrospective Expansion of Historical Concepts”

Excursus 013 – On the Typology of Theoretical Structure: Simplicus vs. Compositum

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 06 – 30 Bacon’s use of species infimae extends beyond biological kinds to encompass immediate sensory qualities. This broader usage invites a more general analysis of theoretical structure. However, because his use of the term extended beyond living kinds to include immediate sensory qualities, it invites a broader conceptualContinue reading “Excursus 013 – On the Typology of Theoretical Structure: Simplicus vs. Compositum”

Excursus 011 – On the Concept of Species

Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 06 – 30 In Aristotelian logic, the species infimae (“lowest species”) occupied the final level of the genus–species hierarchy—the most specific universals that could still apply to more than one individual. They marked the boundary between universal and particular, serving as the lowest kinds that could figure in scientificContinue reading “Excursus 011 – On the Concept of Species”