Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 08 – 06 Philosophical inquiry necessarily depends upon definitions. New concepts are introduced, familiar concepts are refined, and distinctions are drawn between phenomena that ordinary language may treat as equivalent. Yet even a carefully formulated definition may leave the reader uncertain about what the author actually intends it toContinue reading “Excursus 128 – On Definitions and Their Instances”
Tag Archives: concepts
Excursus 105 – On the Epistemological Function of Examples in Plato’s Dialogues
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 05 Readers approaching Plato for the first time are often struck by the kinds of questions that dominate his dialogues. Contrary to modern expectations, Socrates rarely investigates material objects or natural phenomena. Instead, his discussions almost invariably concern concepts: justice, courage, temperance, piety, friendship, beauty, knowledge, virtue,Continue reading “Excursus 105 – On the Epistemological Function of Examples in Plato’s Dialogues”
Excursus 029 – On the Stability of Conceptual Definitions
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 06 – 30 The persistence of a philosophical or scientific term does not guarantee the stability of the concept it denotes. Throughout the history of ideas, words have often remained unchanged while their meanings, explanatory functions, and theoretical contexts have undergone profound transformation. Bacon’s own treatment of Form illustratesContinue reading “Excursus 029 – On the Stability of Conceptual Definitions”
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”
Hossein Jorjani 