Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 10 – 13 Whether something can properly be called dialectical depends first on what “dialectic” is intended to mean. The historical continuity of the word does not establish continuity of its function or criteria. As discussed in Excursus 087 and Excursus 117, dialectic has served epistemological, soteriological, and ontologicalContinue reading “Excursus 149 — On Explanatory Architecture and the Boundaries of Immanence”
Tag Archives: dialectic
Excursus 144 — On Authorial Intention and Intellectual Consequence
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 09 – 13 What a thinker intends to accomplish and what the thinker’s work makes possible are not necessarily the same. This distinction is particularly important in the history of ideas, where concepts and arguments may acquire consequences very different from those intended by their authors. Gurvitch’s discussion ofContinue reading “Excursus 144 — On Authorial Intention and Intellectual Consequence”
Excursus 141 — On the Materialization of Hegelian Dialectic
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 09 – 12 Consider the familiar transformation: Ice ↔ liquid water ↔ water vapor Hegel used the different phases of water as an example of the transition from quantitative to qualitative change. A gradual alteration in temperature, he observed, does not merely make water progressively warmer or colder. AtContinue reading “Excursus 141 — On the Materialization of Hegelian Dialectic”
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 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 110 – On the Meaning of Contradiction
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 22 The term contradiction has acquired different meanings in different philosophical traditions. Unless these meanings are distinguished, discussions of dialectic and philosophical method can easily become confused. In formal logic, a contradiction is stronger than a mere opposition or distinction. Two propositions are contradictory when they cannotContinue reading “Excursus 110 – On the Meaning of Contradiction”
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 104– Rethinking Plato’s Academy: Dialectic as Philosophical Apprenticeship
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 05 Modern readers are often struck by an apparent paradox in Plato’s educational program. In the Republic, dialectic occupies the highest stage of philosophical education. After approximately ten years of mathematical preparation, those selected for advanced study are expected to devote an additional five years to dialecticContinue reading “Excursus 104– Rethinking Plato’s Academy: Dialectic as Philosophical Apprenticeship”
Excursus 095 – On Manifestations of Change
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 20 Change often referred to as movement in philosophical literature, is one of the most fundamental features of both nature and thought. Yet philosophers have often emphasized different manifestations of change and, in some cases, treated one particular manifestation as though it exhausted the phenomenon itself. TheContinue reading “Excursus 095 – On Manifestations of Change”
