Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 One of the recurring themes in twentieth-century philosophy and sociology is the claim that the act of observation affects the object being observed. This idea appears in a variety of forms, ranging from discussions of quantum mechanics to debates in the social sciences. Yet these examplesContinue reading “Excursus 069 – On Observer Effects and Scale”
Tag Archives: measurement
Excursus 090 – On Simplicus and Compositum
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 The distinction between simplicus and compositum, originally introduced to characterize different kinds of theoretical models, may be generalized into a broader methodological principle applicable to scientific inquiry. A simplicus object is one whose behavior can be adequately understood at a single level of organization. Its explanationContinue reading “Excursus 090 – On Simplicus and Compositum”
Excursus 079 – On Quantification in Science
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 The history of science has been marked by a long-term movement toward increasing quantification. Astronomy, physics, chemistry, genetics, epidemiology, and many other disciplines have progressively incorporated measurement, statistics, mathematical modelling, and computation into their methods. This historical development is sometimes interpreted as evidence that science isContinue reading “Excursus 079 – On Quantification in Science”
Excursus 078 – On What Makes a Discipline Scientific?
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 The value of an intellectual discipline should not be confused with its scientific status. Philosophy, history, literature, art, and political thought have produced some of humanity’s most profound achievements without thereby becoming sciences. The question is therefore not whether every discipline ought to become scientific, butContinue reading “Excursus 078 – On What Makes a Discipline Scientific?”
Excursus 064 – On Viewing the Same Problem from Different Perspectives
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 18 Philosophical disagreements often appear deeper than they really are because different thinkers approach the same underlying problem from different conceptual perspectives. Like observers standing on opposite sides of the same mountain, they describe what they see in different languages, emphasize different features, and sometimes fail toContinue reading “Excursus 064 – On Viewing the Same Problem from Different Perspectives”
Excursus 061 – On Theory-Ladenness and Scientific Objectivity
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 18 During the twentieth century, philosophers of science increasingly emphasized that observation is theory-laden. Measurements, classifications, and experimental observations do not arise independently of prior concepts, assumptions, instruments, or methods of interpretation. Every observation presupposes some theoretical framework within which it acquires meaning. This recognition represented anContinue reading “Excursus 061 – On Theory-Ladenness and Scientific Objectivity”
Hossein Jorjani 