Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 23 The term materialism has been used in philosophy in several distinct senses, and failure to distinguish them has been a frequent source of confusion. In metaphysical (or ontological) materialism, represented classically by Hobbes, materialism is a theory of reality. It holds that only material substance existsContinue reading “Excursus 118 – On the Metaphysical and Historical Senses of Materialism”
Tag Archives: ontology
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 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 111 – On Ultimate Unifying Principles
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 08 One of the recurring features of the history of philosophy is the search for an ultimate principle capable of unifying the diversity of reality. Although different philosophical systems identify this principle in different ways, many assign to it a comparable structural role: it serves as theContinue reading “Excursus 111 – On Ultimate Unifying Principles”
Excursus 109 – Reality, Knowledge, and Epistemic Mediation
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 08 Every newspaper reports yesterday’s events. Every photograph shows a moment that has already passed. Even looking across a room takes a small amount of time for light to travel from the object to our eyes. Scientific knowledge is built upon observations that are obtained, interpreted, andContinue reading “Excursus 109 – Reality, Knowledge, and Epistemic Mediation”
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 087 – On Three Historical Functions of Dialectic
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 Histories of dialectic usually distinguish among philosophers, schools, or historical periods. Equally important, however, is the function that dialectic serves within different intellectual traditions. The same term has been employed for fundamentally different purposes, and these differences are not always made explicit. Three broad historical functionsContinue reading “Excursus 087 – On Three Historical Functions of Dialectic”
Excursus 074 – On the Uneven Distribution of Human Knowledge
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 Knowledge is neither complete nor uniformly incomplete. Human understanding is distributed unevenly across different domains of reality. Some phenomena are understood with considerable precision and reliability, whereas others remain only partially understood or are presently beyond our investigative reach. This unevenness reflects the fact that theContinue reading “Excursus 074 – On the Uneven Distribution of Human Knowledge”
Excursus 073 – On Four Sources of Epistemic Incompleteness
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 Human knowledge is often described as provisional or incomplete. This incompleteness, however, does not arise from a single cause. At least four independent mechanisms may prevent knowledge from attaining complete correspondence with reality. Two of these arise from the nature of reality itself. First, reality mayContinue reading “Excursus 073 – On Four Sources of Epistemic Incompleteness”
Excursus 070 – On the Distinction Between Epistemological and Ontological Claims
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 Discussions of scientific inquiry often emphasize that knowledge is acquired, interpreted, and communicated by human beings. This is an epistemological claim: all knowledge is produced within particular historical, linguistic, and social contexts. It concerns how human beings come to know the world. Such claims should notContinue reading “Excursus 070 – On the Distinction Between Epistemological and Ontological Claims”
Hossein Jorjani 