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”
Tag Archives: philosophy of science
Excursus 100 – On Human Diversity and Philosophical Idealization
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 20 Scientific inquiry frequently employs idealizations. Their legitimacy depends upon whether the features omitted are irrelevant to the problem under investigation. In classical mechanics, for example, a planet may often be represented as a point mass without significantly affecting the accuracy of gravitational calculations. Such simplifications areContinue reading “Excursus 100 – On Human Diversity and Philosophical Idealization”
Excursus 099 – On Kant as a Model of Philosophical Responsibility
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 20 Immanuel Kant’s enduring significance lies not only in the originality of his philosophy but also in the methodological attitude from which it emerged. Living during the period in which Newtonian mechanics represented the most successful scientific account of the physical world, Kant regarded this achievement notContinue reading “Excursus 099 – On Kant as a Model of Philosophical Responsibility”
Excursus 098 – On an Additional Criterion for Evaluating Philosophers
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 20 Philosophers are commonly evaluated according to such criteria as originality, logical consistency, conceptual clarity, influence, and historical significance. These are all important measures of philosophical achievement. Yet they do not exhaust the criteria by which philosophical work may be assessed. Philosophy has never developed independently ofContinue reading “Excursus 098 – On an Additional Criterion for Evaluating Philosophers”
Excursus 097 – On Events and Processes
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 20 Many historical and scientific developments are commonly described as if they consisted of discrete events: revolutions, paradigm shifts, qualitative leaps, breakthroughs, or discoveries. Such expressions are often useful as descriptive labels, but they should not be mistaken for explanations. Closer examination frequently reveals that what appearsContinue reading “Excursus 097 – On Events and Processes”
Excursus 096 – On Selection in Scientific Inquiry
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 20 Every scientific inquiry begins with selection. No researcher can investigate every problem, read every publication, examine every hypothesis, or pursue every promising idea. Scientific work is therefore conducted under conditions of scarcity: time, attention, funding, personnel, and institutional resources are all limited. Selection should not beContinue reading “Excursus 096 – On Selection in Scientific Inquiry”
Excursus 092 – On Structured Inference
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 Much of classical statistical inference derives its strength from repeated observations and probabilistic regularities. An equally important source of scientific knowledge, however, arises from structure. In many disciplines, inference succeeds not primarily because observations are numerous but because they are constrained by systematic relationships. Such constraintsContinue reading “Excursus 092 – On Structured Inference”
Excursus 091 – On Reconstruction as a Form of Scientific Inference
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 Scientific inference is commonly discussed in terms of interpolation and extrapolation. Yet many important forms of modern scientific reasoning belong to neither category. They are better understood as instances of reconstruction. Interpolation estimates unknown values that lie within an observed domain. Extrapolation extends established relationships beyondContinue reading “Excursus 091 – On Reconstruction as a Form of Scientific Inference”
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 089 – On Doubt as a Method of Conceptual Revision
Hossein Jorjani First publication: 2026 – 07 – 19 Doubt has often been misunderstood as either a temporary stage on the path to certainty or a permanent condition of skepticism. Both conceptions overlook a more fundamental epistemological function. The enduring value of doubt lies not in uncertainty itself but in its capacity to stimulate theContinue reading “Excursus 089 – On Doubt as a Method of Conceptual Revision”
Hossein Jorjani 