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: methodology
Excursus 126 – On the Methodological Limits of Classical Sociobiology
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 08 – 02 The emergence of sociobiology during the second half of the twentieth century represented one of the earliest systematic attempts to interpret human social behavior within an evolutionary framework. By emphasizing that human societies are products of biological evolution, it stimulated valuable dialogue between biology and theContinue reading “Excursus 126 – On the Methodological Limits of Classical Sociobiology”
Excursus 122 – On the Interpretive Authority of Early and Late Writings
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 27 When philosophers and scientists write repeatedly on the same subject over many years, an important methodological question arises: Which writings should be given the greatest interpretive authority when reconstructing the author’s position? A useful comparison may be drawn from the natural sciences. A scientist may publishContinue reading “Excursus 122 – On the Interpretive Authority of Early and Late Writings”
Excursus 121 – On the Interpretation of Early Philosophical Writings
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 27 The growing scholarly interest in the early writings of major philosophers and scientists reflects a legitimate desire to understand the genesis of their ideas. Early manuscripts, notebooks, correspondence, and unpublished reflections often reveal conceptual beginnings, abandoned alternatives, and the gradual emergence of positions that later becameContinue reading “Excursus 121 – On the Interpretation of Early Philosophical Writings”
Excursus 120 – On Dialectics as a Heuristic Rather than an Explanation
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 27 Dialectics may be understood as a method for apprehending movement, contradiction, change, and the plurality of reality. In this sense, it serves as a heuristic framework for inquiry rather than as a substitute for empirical explanation. The distinction resembles the relationship between hypothesis formation and scientificContinue reading “Excursus 120 – On Dialectics as a Heuristic Rather than an Explanation”
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 101 – On Scientific Prestige and Philosophical Authority
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 20 Throughout the history of philosophy, scientific achievements have often enhanced the prestige of philosophical systems associated with them. The success of mathematics, physics, biology, or other sciences may lend an appearance of authority to philosophical arguments that invoke their concepts or terminology. Yet scientific prestige andContinue reading “Excursus 101 – On Scientific Prestige and Philosophical Authority”
Excursus 094 – On Formal Logic and Changing Reality
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 Formal logic and dialectical reasoning are often presented as mutually exclusive approaches. This opposition, however, concerns not the validity of logical inference but the domain to which different forms of reasoning are applied. Formal logic, in the classical tradition, operates upon abstract concepts according to principlesContinue reading “Excursus 094 – On Formal Logic and Changing Reality”
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”
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