Publisher: Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Print ISSN: 1313-888X Online-ISSN: 2367-5438
Language: English Pages: 185-186
Language: English Pages: 187-196 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618212 Keywords: contingency, disquotation, epistemic possibility, truth, Dummett (Michael A. E., Sir), Wright (Crispin) Abstract: I contrast two construals of the thesis that truth is independent of verifiability in principle: a modal one and a non modal one. I argue in favor of the modal construal and then, on that basis, that independence holds across the board, i.e., even for statements that are verifiable by us relative to familiar, customary, non-skeptical standards.
Language: English Pages: 197-210 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618213 Keywords: handicap principle, norms of assertion, social norms, costly signaling, biological metaphors, speech act theory Abstract: This paper examines philosophical applications of Zahavi’s handicap principle to assertion reliability, focusing on contributions by M. Green, P. J. Graham, and J. P. Bruner. The handicap principle holds that honest signals are costly to produce and that this cost is differential – it falls more heavily on lower-quality signallers than on higher-quality ones, which is what prevents deception and keeps signals reliable. I argue that social norms cannot function as cost-imposing mechanisms in handicap-based accounts of assertion. My argument consists of two stages. First, I use Penn and Számadó's biological objections to preemptively undermine any naturalistic interpretation of the way in which the handicap principle has been deployed in philosophy, and, in particular, to block any such naturalistic interpretation of the concept of “social norms.” Second, I examine the notion of “social norms” as used by philosophers to argue that biological handicaps impose costs deterministically, whereas social norms impose costs only probabilistically, and that the social costs of assertion introduce systematic variability that renders social norms incapable of serving as stable costimposing mechanisms. Although I do not offer a positive account of the philosophical application of the handicap principle, I think that my contribution may nevertheless be helpful insofar as it identifies serious obstacles to such deployment.
Language: English Pages: 211-222 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618214 Keywords: embodiment, play, affection, sublime, reality. Abstract: This paper aims to outline the relation between embodiment, playfulness, and humanization in the case of mother-infant interactions. To accomplish this task, I will firstly draw on the works of Marc Richir, since he has provided a full-fledged phenomenological account of key concepts pertaining to the psychoanalytical theory of British psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott. Even though this essay will be situated mostly in the framework of Richir’s thought, I will also draw on different phenomenological authors, such as Eugen Fink or Paul Ricoeur, whose ideas can strengthen my initial claim. The process of humanization, as described by Richir entails the entire range of playful gestures, which reveal our embodied being. Therefore, interactions such as the exchange of gazes, mother-infant vocalization and touch will be analyzed. Finally, this article attempts to introduce a novel reading on the notion of resistance, to reveal its ethical implications regarding the mother-infant scenario. The process of humanization does not involve only how the infant commences to learn about aspects concerning what it means to be human, but also it entails the ethical relationship to others, henceforth, the notion of empathy will be also addressed.
Language: English Pages: 223-238 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618215 Keywords: Large Language Models, Neural Intelligence, Fregean sense, a priori revisability, transformers Abstract: Large Language Models (LLMs) operate within closed neural architectures, isolated from direct physical interaction with the external world. This lack of empirical grounding is a critical epistemic deficiency of empirical theories to explain the referential nature of LLM outputs and their hallucinatory fallibility. To address this, I propose a computational adaptation of Fregean semantics that integrates the semantics of transformer architectures with classical philosophy of language. In it I reject static token embeddings as the sole bearers of meaning in an LLM and I formally identify shifted, contextualized vectors generated via self-attention as rigorous computational analogues of Fregean sense. This structure provides an epistemological grounding for how transformers construct meaning, and then it demonstrates the new potential of ungrounded models to execute a priori revisions of deeply learned, highly probable “beliefs.” I integrate these contextualized Fregean senses into a Quinean-style web of beliefs,1 endowing the neural network with dual epistemic fallibilities: empirical and a priori. To demonstrate this mechanism, I model a paradigmatic historical shift, the a priori revision of the absolute simultaneity principle, as it would unfold within this modified Fregean vector space. I identify a multi-sense consistency mechanism which can correct errors a priori and I show that this approach exhibits a robust model capable of delivering epistemic success in artificial systems devoid of real-world grounding.
Language: English Pages: 239-253 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618216 Keywords: human transformation, information technology, virtual reality, information society, simulacra, cognitive change, digital culture, technological evolution, socio-political control Abstract: The article explores the prospects of human transformation under the influence of information technologies. In addition to the traditionally discussed “optimistic approach,” which emphasizes the creative and developmental potential of modern technologies, and the “critical approach,” which highlights the growing cognitive limitations of individuals, the study introduces a “systemic and realistic approach.” This perspective enables a comprehensive evaluation of the nature and causes of personality transformation. The analysis considers several factors: human behavior in the information space (anthropological approach); the influence of simulacra and virtual representations (informational approach); the mechanisms of social control and power (socio-political approach); and the technological transformation of human nature itself (technological approach). Taking into account the actual power of these influences and current sociological observations – such as the increasing immersion of humanity into the Internet environment, the shift in cultural values, and the changing interests of younger generations – the article identifies the main trend in shaping the human being of the future. It traces the evolution from the individual of the information society to the human immersed in virtual space, and ultimately to the posthuman of the emerging nanotechnological era.
Language: English Pages: 254-270 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618217 Keywords: Joseph Rouse, Kantianism, Martin Heidegger, Marxism, metaphysics, practice, realism, Rein Vihalemm Abstract: The article analyses the roots of the novel understanding of science that has been proposed by the Estonian philosopher of science and chemistry Rein Vihalemm and called practical realism by him. The analysis reveals an interesting intellectual journey that brought a philosopher who was educated in the Soviet Union in alignment with Marxism to quite different ideas of Martin Heidegger, a very popular philosopher in Eastern and Central Europe in the late 20th century. Strangely, studying Heidegger’s understanding of modern science helped Vihalemm to re-discover Marx from a new angle relevant from the perspective of the approach to science as a practical activity. The issue of the Kantian influences on practical realism is another focus of the article. Most importantly, the analysis connects to the attitude towards the role of metaphysics in science. Vihalemm accepts Kantianism in its sublated form calling metaphysics exhausted at the same time. The article aims to show that metaphysics still plays an important role in making sense of science, in part as an inherent component of science, and that it is premature to consider metaphysics exhausted.
Language: English Pages: 271-282 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618218 Keywords: Ideal society, Ayatollah Khomeini, Philosophy of Illuminated, semantic power Abstract: The study examines how the philosophical ideas of the so-called ‘Illuminated’ are reflected in Khomeini’s vision of an ‘ideal society’. It can be argued that the Islamic mystical tradition (thereafter Irfan) to which he was a devotee played an important role in the formation of his worldview in general, particularly the role of the mysticism and his responsibility for orienting people towards the sacred realm through the establishment of an ideal society. For the purposes of the study, alongside the historical approach, an anthropological approach has been applied, which is more open to qualitative research. The results suggest that his later political theory of Wilayat al-Faqih can be legitimized on the basis of gnostic and metaphysical notions, an issue that has important implications for future research. Using Plato’s and al-Fārābī ’s views of “ideal society” as a motivational and inspirational power he created a new “semantic power”, as a basic indicator for understanding the principle of development of society. The study aims to stimulate further debate within the social sciences on the relationship between mysticism, metaphysics, and political thought.
Language: English Pages: 283-292 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618219 Keywords: personhood, ethics of nature-relatedness, eco-bio-communitarianism, Ubuntu Ecology, African environmental ethics. Abstract: African environmental ethics has come a long way in advancing theories that would, (i) prove the existence of African philosophy to the rest of the world; (ii) show the efficacy of age-old African practices in sustaining the environment; and (iii) point out the African non-anthropocentric path towards preservation, conservation, and sustainability of the environment. However, there seems to be a misunderstanding of personhood as it applies to African environmental ethics, leading to the claim that the latter is essentially anthropocentric and offers no unique contribution to environmental ethics in general. Thus, a sound understanding of personhood in African thought would help to clarify the kinds of value, rights, and worth that are extendable to nature within African environmental ethics. It is against this backdrop that this paper highlights how personhood serves as the ontological foundation of African environmental ethics. To achieve this goal, the paper examines the concept and status of personhood within the ambit of three theories of African environmental ethics: (i) Segun Ogungbemi’s Ethics of Nature-Relatedness, (ii) Godfrey Tangwa’s Eco-bio-communitarianism, and (iii) Mogobe Bernard Ramose’s Ubuntu Ecology. The paper concludes that personhood lies at the root of the examined theories of African environmental ethics and determines the kind of worth they have extended to nature.
Language: English Pages: 293-311 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618220 Keywords: identity crisis, alienation, loss, desire for authenticity, fragmentation Abstract: The study examines existential motifs in the works of Le Clézio and Modiano and to analyse their interpretation within French literature of the 20th and 21st centuries. The research employed comparative, analytical and structural methods to examine the artistic representation of existential ideas, focusing on key motifs, narrative strategies and semantic interpretations of loneliness, alienation, identity crisis and memory. The findings show that existential motifs develop in different directions in the works of the two authors. In Le Clézio’s texts, loneliness and alienation are linked to the loss of cultural roots, the opposition between natural and urban spaces, and the conflict between tradition and civilisation. His characters experience identity crises expressed through a search for authenticity and belonging. In contrast, Modiano’s works associate existential crisis with fragmented memory, the impossibility of reconstructing a coherent biography, and social alienation. His narrative structures emphasise uncertainty, while the motif of oblivion intensifies a sense of existential instability. The comparative analysis confirms that both writers address loneliness and alienation as fundamental aspects of human existence, yet their interpretations are shaped by distinct social and historical contexts. Le Clézio focuses on space and cultural identity, whereas Modiano highlights memory and the erosion of the past.
Language: English Pages: 312-327 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618221 Keywords: existentialism, nothingness, freedom, human, consciousness, project Abstract: This article first examines the historical and philosophical elements that prepared the ground for the emergence of existentialism. The individualization and search for freedom brought about by the modern era, along with the resulting social disappointments, confronted human beings with experiences of alienation and meaninglessness. In this context, the contributions of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Jaspers, Heidegger, and other existentialist thinkers are presented as a historical background, thereby clarifying Sartre’s distinctive position within this tradition. The second part discusses the common assumptions of existentialism, focusing particularly on the critiques directed against metaphysical ontology, determinism, and universal moral laws. The third part analyzes Sartre’s unique approach to existentialism in light of the criticisms directed at him, and through the concepts of freedom, nothingness, consciousness, and project. At this point, Sartre’s principle that “existence precedes essence” is placed at the center, and the aspects of his conception of freedom that necessarily lead the human being toward responsibility and action are examined. The aim of the article is to challenge the frequently asserted interpretation of Sartrean existentialism as a doctrine of despair and passivity, and instead to reinterpret his philosophy on the basis of freedom, responsibility, and action, presenting it as a philosophy of humanism and hope.
Language: English Pages: 328-345 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618222 Keywords: Plato, Plotinus, Spinoza, freedom, self-realization Abstract: What does true freedom mean? For Plato and Spinoza, freedom requires finding the true self and becoming like God. This paper demonstrates their philosophical communicability by showing that both thinkers ground freedom in a metaphysical division between two orders of existence, one external and temporally determined, the other internal and eternal, and that the ethical life consists in one’s progressive identification with the latter. For Plato this means the soul’s ascent toward the intelligible realm through self-mastery, requiring detachment from and devaluation of the sensible world. For Spinoza, freedom is not a transition between realms but a transformation in causation, from external determination to joining God’s self-causation as causa sui. Since Extension and Thought are equal attributes of God, Spinoza does not devalue the sensible world, and self-realization is equally expressed in political life through the rational preservation of conatus. The comparison illuminates how Spinoza transforms the Platonic ideal by grounding freedom in a metaphysics that gives equal weight to the bodily and political dimensions of human life.
Short Communication
Language: English Pages: 346-350 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202618223 Keywords: Plethon; Aristotle; Georgios Trapezuntios; Bessarion; Byzantine philosophy; Platonism Abstract: Georgios Gemistos Plethon’s critique of Aristotle, most fully articulated in De differentiis Platonis et Aristotelis, emerged from a context of intellectual and pedagogical struggle within late Byzantine philosophy. Advocating a revival of Platonism, Plethon framed Aristotle as a metaphysical and theological rival, emphasizing differences in accounts of form, ethics, and divine causation. This article argues that while Plethon identifies genuine tensions between Platonic and Aristotelian traditions, his presentation often simplifies Aristotle’s positions and relies on mediated interpretations inherited from later scholastic and Arabic sources. In metaphysics and ethics alike, Plethon tends to sharpen contrasts to serve his polemical aims, sometimes at the expense of interpretive precision. Comparison with contemporaries such as Scholarios and Bessarion shows that alternative, more conciliatory readings were available. Ultimately, Plethon’s contribution lies less in offering a balanced exegesis of Aristotle and more in reopening philosophical debate and redirecting attention toward Platonic thought in a predominantly Aristotelian intellectual climate.
