The second part of the article continues the reconstruction of scientific biography of a Soviet historian and philosopher of science, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences Tatiana Nikolayevna Gornshtein (Tatiana Gornstein) (1904–1980). The article analyzes the circumstances of her two arrests on trumped-up charges in 1936 and 1949, her confinement at the prison camp and her life in deportation, and examines a chapter of Gornstein’s life, associated with her ‘medical career’ when she was forced to complete the feldsher courses and head a clinical laboratory in the Achinsk hospital. Particular attention is given to Gornstein’s return – after a 20-year interruption – to her work as a historian and philosopher of science at the Institute for the History of Science and Technology, and then to teaching in the end of her academic career. The article largely draws on the archival materials, many of which have been introduced for scientific use for the first time, and sheds light on many episodes and chapters in the history of Russian science and philosophy.
The translation of one of the lectures delivered by the German engineer, artist and writer Max Eyth in the cycle “Creative Forces” (Lebendige Kräfte). The final, seventh lecture, “On the Philosophy of Invention”, was chosen for translation. It covers such important topics as the interaction of language and tools; the identification of four types of inventions depending on the availability of funds and goals; the stages of the development cycle of new technology; difficulties in socializing inventions; the causes of new technologies; the interaction of science and technology; the fate of inventions and inventors. Eyth does not fully cover these topics, and his view is hardly truly philosophical, but thanks to him we get a fairly holistic overview of areas whose research is still incomplete. This lecture will also be a useful propaedeutic reading for engineers and developers of new technologies trying to understand the philosophy of technology and traditions in its understanding. Translated from German to Russian by E.E. Chikina, scientific editing by T.M. Gafitullin.
The paper presents a reconstruction of various approaches to understanding such an element of philosophical methodology as conceivability. From the point of view of such a section of the theory of knowledge as modal epistemology, this method is interesting because it allows us to acquire knowledge about the nature of various objects, expressed by modal statements. In other words, this knowledge is about necessary or possible truths, about the presence or absence of necessary identity or essential properties. In the last few decades, this method has been actively used to solve problems in the philosophy of mind. With its help, arguments are formulated against materialism, against the thesis that the mind is necessarily connected with the physical. For the first time, we find such an argument in R. Descartes. One of the sections of the paper is devoted to the reconstruction of his views. Another part of the work is dedicated to the analysis of criticism of classical views on the nature of conceivability. This criticism is primarily associated with the turn in understanding the nature of necessary and contingent truths, which was initiated by S. Kripke. Another stage in the discussion of the role of conceivability in the knowledge of modal truths, which is considered in the text, is connected with the development of two-dimensional semantics. The paper reconstructs D. Chalmers's views based on this semantics about the existence of several types of conceivability, as well as his version of the argument from conceivability directed against materialism.
The article is dedicated to the probabilistic-predictive theory of consciousness, which examines the relationship between cognitive processes and the mechanism of predicting the surrounding environment. It focuses on the concept that living systems operate as probabilistic models, minimizing prediction errors and optimizing their interaction with the surrounding world. A significant part of the article presents consciousness as a mechanism that helps maintain a non-equilibrium stable state, where organisms continuously generate and update predictions based on sensory input. The concept of Bayesian cognitive science is discussed, which applies principles of Bayesian inference to understand cognitive processes. The article demonstrates how the principles of predictive processing and free energy minimization contribute to the development of innovative theories of consciousness based on these principles. A brief overview of existing theories is provided, which derive phenomena of consciousness from various aspects of hierarchical Bayesian inference – a formal system underlying the understanding of living organisms as non-equilibrium systems that maintain homeostasis through the continuous updating of predictions regarding their environment. Aspects that should be considered in the future unified theory of consciousness are outlined, emphasizing the need for an interdisciplinary approach to creating such a theory.
The article analyzes the changes in the field of ontology and epistemology caused by the rapid spread of computer technology, as well as the intrusion of IT technologies into the established orders of human thinking and social action. There is more and more reason to believe that as a result of the significant digitalization of cognitive and social practices, a special kind of reality has emerged – digital reality, and with it the question of changing the theoretical description of the world. Various models of reality construction are considered separately from the point of view of their applicability to the description of the process of constructing digital reality. The arguments of supporters and opponents of radical modernization of ontology are analyzed under the influence of new intellectual capabilities and social effects that arose after the construction of electronic computing machines and their connection into extensive networks. The position of those who think that talking about digital ontology does not have sufficient grounds is being reconstructed. It is shown that the debate between DR enthusiasts and DR skeptics is conducted both on the ontological and epistemological plane, although many DR enthusiasts are more inclined to believe that digital reality is a technical reality, that is, one of the realities, and not the Universe itself. Meanwhile, it is precisely in neo-Pythagoreanism that some of the DR-skeptics accuse them. The latter see the inconsistency of giving the concept of digital reality a high ontological status. The article pays special attention to the historical perspective, which makes it possible to evaluate the epistemological, philosophical and methodological possibilities of conceptualizing digital.
The article examines the problem of the impact of digitalization on human cognition and self-awareness in its historical development. The author draws attention to the relativity studying the issue depending on personal and social values and worldviews. It is noted that the idea of digitalization within the framework of the activities of states, individual societies and individuals has an important impact on the development of knowledge of the surrounding world and human self-awareness. The study uses a historical and philosophical method to analyze the idea of digitalization. In conclusion, the author offers an author’s point of view on the impact of digitalization on human cognition and self-knowledge in the context of cultural and anthropological risks, namely: from the peculiarities of differentiation of society in the digital age; from the complication of reality with the advent of digital reality; from the degeneration of human experience caused by the transfer of knowledge through digital technologies.
The presented review reveals significant intuitions concerning the expansion of the practice of using computer tools in organizing the research activity of a philosopher. Key categories of computer technologies that transform the appearance of modern philosophical thought are highlighted: data analysis, the use of computer modeling tools, the use of generative AI systems, computer games, and the development of specialized software. It is concluded that the concept of “computer philosophy” represents current trends in the development of modern philosophical thought, but these trends do not eliminate the “original” tasks of philosophy that determine its functional position in the system of spiritual culture of mankind.
By 2024, the use of self driving transport has not only become widespread, but also regulated. Its implementation is accelerating, and today we can already talk about the formation of the technological paradigm of unmanned transport. An important feature of it is the active participation of the consumer, and an important factor is the trolley problem. The article shows that the modern paradigm of unmanned transport is formed not by solving the problem, but by avoiding its occurrence and maintaining the decisive role of humans in emergency situations.
This article examines the methodological foundations of a critical approach to addressing the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence (AI). It argues that the object of ethical analysis should not be AI technologies in isolation, but rather hybrid systems encompassing humans, technologies, and social institutions whose operation involves AI systems. The subject of AI ethics then becomes the content and nature of the changes that AI systems bring about in human perceptions, values, behavior, and decision-making. A system of principles, transformable into questions for critical analysis, is proposed as a methodological basis for this critical approach. These principles include system expansion, consideration of changes, skepticism, design limitations, AI system agency, augmentation of natural intelligence, inequality, pragmatic adoption, and demystification. The applicability of this critical approach to analyzing specific situations is demonstrated through the example of using neural networks for writing code. This analysis reveals ethical issues related to increased cognitive inequality and the potential disruption of training and development systems within the IT sector. The article concludes that ethical challenges arise not at the level of the technology itself, but at the level of social interaction among users. It emphasizes the need for critical analysis and forecasting of changes at the cognitive, personal, and social levels to find balanced solutions and mitigate risks.
The paper presents definite review of mutual communication between analytical philosophy and phenomenology in the study of conscious experience’s phenomenal character. It is clearly demonstrated, that analytical philosophy tends to share the so-called “narrow” interpretation of conscious experience phenomenal character both in its strong and moderate versions. Strong version denies that cognitive states may have phenomenal properties and insists that the latter adhere only to sensorial domain. Those who share moderate position, admits, that perceptual experience preserves its phenomenal character although laden with definite conceptual content. According to this position, conscious thoughts may possess their specific phenomenal character, but only due to perceptual states, with which they are obviously tied. In their turn, those, who adhere to phenomenological tradition, support the so-called wide interpretation of conscious experience phenomenal character. Their point is, that our thoughts also have their specific phenomenal character, which differs from the former and cannot be reduced to sensory phenomenology. Those who accept this position acknowledge (logical and metaphysical) possibility of specific cognitive mental states; differ from any sensorial mental states. Vivid debates on cognitive phenomenology, dated back to the last years 80th of XX century and embrace wide range of international philosophical community, still continue. They throw a fresh light on the most fundamental problems of contemporary epistemology: perceptual intentionality and its influence on the high-level cognitive processes, qualia of mental experience (if any), the relevance of introspection in the study of abstract thinking, phenomenological description cognitive status. This analysis outlines directions of their further elaboration and not only paves the way to the new decision of the so-called “hard problem” of mind, but also raises to the new level of complexity the problems of artificial intelligence.
This year marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding scientist Boris Viktorovich Rauschenbach (1915–2001), whose personality and scientific work have not been sufficiently studied. This is explained by a number of factors related to the secrecy of his scientific research, the scale and versatility of his scientific interests (cosmonautics, technical sciences, advanced geometry, ancient art, theology), complex episodes in his biography (arrest and exile), as well as the unusual path of formation of the scientist’s religious worldview. The main principle in the life and scientific work of Academician B.V. Rauschenbach was the ethical criterion (among the moral qualities of the scientist were meekness, patience, piety, kindness, devotion to family and profession, love for Russia and the desire to serve her). The transformation of the scientist’s ideological ideas correlated with the topics of his scientific interests. Religious views of B.V. Rauschenbach, on the one hand, were based on a natural-mathematical basis, and, on the other hand, were at odds with the positivistic attitudes inherited from the Soviet era in the scientific community of the 1990s, and therefore received an ambiguous assessment from both religious theologians and Marxist scientists. The article provides the first detailed reconstruction of the evolutionary path of the trajectory of B.V. Rauschenbach’s scientific interests, which included four stages: 1) technical sciences and astronautics (1940–1960s); 2) perspective geometry (late 1960s – early 1970s); 3) ancient Russian art (1970–1980s); 4) theology (1990s). At the first stage, in collaboration with S.P. Korolev laid the foundations of cosmonautics, which allowed him to take unique pictures of the Moon and make the first flights into space. The characteristic result of the second stage was the statement of the absence of a scientific system of perspective, reflecting the geometric characteristics of the depicted space on the plane of the picture without any distortions. In the third and fourth stages, the academician proposed a mathematical model of the “trinity” and expressed ideas about the prospects of synthesizing the scientific and religious worldviews.
The article aims to understand the ambivalent effects of cognitive techno-symbiosis. The issue of cognitive technodependence is discussed. Conceptual thinking is opposed to “thinking with technology” with the dominance of an obligatory set of digital functions and the effect of “lazy brain”, when due to the habit of ready-made solutions a person loses the ability for independent mental search. A critical analysis of conceptual alignment in human-AI interactions is proposed based on a set of unambiguous concepts, which implies standardization and formalization of human thinking. The multifunctionality of the cognitive is shown, and the problem of cognitive inequality is analyzed. The focus is on the indirect signs of subjectivity of Artificial neural network, their autonomous and voluntary functioning, their capacity for self-learning and re-training, as well as the process of reprogramming they demonstrate. The author comes to conclusions about the importance of integrating the human body and a high-tech machine, i.e. a brain computer interface; about the potential of cognitive techno-symbiosis based on the bionic approach. It is shown that the functioning of Chat GPT, which tends to become a common technological option, makes it necessary to identify social shock absorbers. It is important to understand the role of Chat GPT as a tool, which should be subordinated to reflexive comprehension and value-purpose imperatives of human-centered existence.
This article is an attempt at a reconstruction of the scientific biography of a Soviet historian and philosopher of science, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences Tatiana Nikolayevna Gornstein (Tatiana Gornstein) (1904–1980). It describes the main stages and areas of Gornstein’s activities and provides a review of her main works. She began her research in 1925, the time of the rapid development of philosophy in the USSR and worldwide, when F. Engels’ “Dialectics of Nature” was first published, an acute philosophical/methodological debate between the so-called dialecticians and mechanists occurred, and the Vienna Circle began to operate systematically. In the 1930s Gornstein was one of the leading Soviet experts in logical positivism, as evidenced by the facts that she was invited to write an article on Empiriocriticism for the Great Soviet Encyclopedia and met with Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951), one of the key philosophers of the 20th century who had a significant impact on the work of the Vienna Circle. The article largely draws on the archival materials, many of which are introduced for scientific use for the first time, and sheds light on many episodes in the history of Russian science and philosophy.
The article discusses the transformation of science that took place in history, as well as possible changes during the change of the culture of modernity to the next big culture, which the author calls “future culture”. Three starts of science are distinguished: the first, related to antiquity, when science was born for the first time in the Hellenistic period, the second, characteristic of the New Age, where science, in addition to knowledge, is formed as an institution of modernity, and the third, hypothetical, i.e. possible, but with a certain development of events. The first two starts of science are briefly characterized: the formation of the “genome of science” (the focus on understanding empirical phenomena, constructing ideal objects, and implementing correct thinking) and the inclusion of the genome of science in the Baconian project, which, starting in the 18th century, began to be quickly implemented, which had several important consequences: the practical orientation of natural science toward engineering and other applications, an explosion of scientific research and engineering developments, support for science first by kings and then by European nation states, the massification of science, the need to train scientists and engineers and change the consciousness of users (the “Enlightenment” project), the construction of natural science and engineering and the industry based on them, etc. The crisis of modernity and the formation of future culture are analyzed as important prerequisites for the third start of science. Although the future culture has not yet taken shape, the author expresses a number of ideas about the transformation of science: another reality will take the place of nature as the ontology of science, the understanding of the purpose of science will change (not providing knowledge for the activity of mastering nature, but a better understanding of what is happening, as well as the rational use of both nature and human activity); an important topic of scientific research will be the discussion of the conditions for saving life on Earth.
The primary objectives of this research were to examine the contemporary state of digitalization on a global scale, assess its influence on human consciousness, and analyze the patterns of human perception regarding technology and associated innovations. The investigation explored the repercussions of digital technologies on societal structures, economic systems, and the personal lives of individuals. Emphasis was placed on the utilization of social networks for the generation of digital user profiles and the manipulation of behavior within both tangible and virtual realms. Methodologically, the study engaged in the analysis of factual, historical, and statistical data, drawing parallels between developments in the digital and technological domains and various religious, mystical, and alchemical doctrines, encompassing general eschatology, Pythagoreanism, and the teachings of microcosm and macrocosm. The philosophical dimensions of digitalization were scrutinized through the lens of the philosophies of I. Kant and M. Bakunin, underscoring the perils of commodification and the absence of a distinct perception of digital activities. This research accentuated the paradigm shift instigated by the digital revolution, characterized by the normalization of computer literacy and the substitution of desktop computers with mobile devices. Moreover, the study probed the detrimental aspects of digitalization, highlighting the escalated prevalence of depression and suicide among adolescents, concerns surrounding privacy, and the harvesting of personal data by corporate and governmental entities. The investigation further delineated the prospective trajectory of artificial intelligence and its ramifications for human consciousness and existence, prompting inquiries into the essence of consciousness and its potential replication. Drawing upon recent scholarly works, it was revealed that AI developers frequently grapple with a limited understanding of the decision-making processes employed by their systems, engendering questions concerning the nature of consciousness and its potential modeling. The study culminated in a contemplation of the feasibility of forging symbiotic forms of consciousness, entailing a fusion of human and mechanical cognitive faculties. Ultimately, the research demonstrated that, notwithstanding the evolving nature of human existence, its anthropological core remains steadfastly immutable.
This paper examines the argument for a realist interpretation of the ontological status of logical possibility, drawing on the modal realism of D. Lewis and the hyperrealism of A. Karpenko. Both authors adopt a “best consequences” argumentation strategy, focusing on the positive effects of accepting realism about logical possibility. The paper demonstrates that D. Lewis’s modal realism is a productive metaphysical theory for the philosophical understanding of modal concepts, but at the same time it is not without its internal difficulties and weaknesses. A number of weaknesses of the Lewisian approach are highlighted, mainly related either to some contradictions and gaps within his concept, or to the fact that accepting modal realism, as the article shows, creates more problems than it solves. A. Karpenko’s concept of hyperrealism is not without similar problems. However, it is interesting for its non-standard understanding of ontology, which is largely similar to medieval theories of transcendentals. From a philosophical point of view, the methodological principle formulated by Karpenko is also promising: the true limiter is the one that expands the boundaries of the real.
Within the framework of the binary methodology (body – mind), the fundamental limitations of knowing and the incompleteness of possible cognition is noted. It is proposed to expand the conceptual frame of the analysis by adding the category “environment” as an initial meta-category. This provides an opportunity to analyze events occurring in the world using ternary optics: external world – subject – internal world. In this case, we can talk about the quantum nature of the proposed approach, due to the fact that it potentially contains the possibility of a superposition of two positions of the subject: as a part of the external world and as a bearer of the internal world. The transition from one of the positions, or their sequence, to a simultaneous superposition of positions becomes possible as a result of the self-development of the subject, which becomes a distinctive feature of the proposed methodology. Knowing is considered as an activity to acquire new knowledge; this knowledge contributes to the functioning of the subject in a changing world. In a broader context, knowing is an operationally closed mental activity that is part of the subject’s activity, determined by his existential tasks arising in a changing environment. Accordingly, there are three types of knowing tools. The mental instrument is the knowledge system of the subject of knowing. The purposeful activity of the subject, aimed at solving his life problems, within the framework of which it is assumed to set goals and organize the process of cognition, is a sociocultural tool of knowing. The role of an existential tool for knowing of a self-developing subject is the process of being, which involves the application and correction of a knowledge system. The path of knowing is associated with going beyond the subject’s existing knowledge and involves testing new knowledge in the process of life, when the environment becomes part of the knowing tool as one of the components of feedback. Such an understanding does not exclude the incompleteness and subjectivity of knowledge, but the possibility of self-development of the subject appears, which allows one to overcome the limitations of knowing within the boundaries of the subject’s life world.
The subject of the article is the ideas and reflections of Boris Isaevich Pruzhinin about the fate of the scientific mind, the problems and dangers that await him on the way from theoretical reason to not even practical reason, but “servile”, serving. Who and what does it serve? Man, and all mankind. But what is the risk for humanity, and for the mind itself? To answer such questions, it is necessary to immerse oneself in discussions about modern methodology and philosophy of science, which Boris Isaevich does, justifying the concept of cultural and historical epistemology along the way. Its feature is the return of philosophy to the space of the methodology of scientific knowledge. The author of the article substantiates the general philosophical significance of Pruzhinin’s ideas. Accordingly, the proposed article addresses the main problems of the European cultural tradition, which now, taking into account the ideas under consideration, appear as some representations of the scientific mind, its cultural and historical modifications. It turns out that the problems of the scientific mind are not the result of the impact of society, its crisis, but its internal transformations that shaped and are shaping the European culture, and today, the whole world. In this case, the cultural centrality of science (and philosophy) becomes not a simple declaration, but a methodological principle of research.
The article introduces the results of the work of the project group of the Faculty of Humanities of the National Research University Higher School of Economics “Basic Concepts of the Philosophy of Technology from E. Kapp to STS. Index rerum” (2023–2024). The group members formed a database and mapped the subject area of the philosophy of technology based on the Index rerum table using the Streamlit library. The information system searches for the main concepts of the philosophy of technology in several European languages, representing terminological nests (related concepts), authors of concepts and scientific directions, research groups and institutes. The most valuable part of the index is the definitions and citations that can be in demand by users in both educational and research work.
This article examines the growing interest in artificial intelligence, tracing its historical development and its impact on contemporary society. It explores the cycles of “AI winters”, periods marked by a reassessment of technological potential, from early attempts to mimic human thought to the integration of algorithmic solutions. Special attention is given to how humans, including children, humanize smart technologies through their interactions with devices. The article argues that the term “artificial intelligence” is philosophically misleading, failing to convey its actual significance. It proposes the concept of the “artificial Other” as a framework for understanding human relationships with AI-driven programs and devices. The discussion highlights how technology reshapes social structures and emphasizes the importance of collaboratively shaping the future while addressing ethical, philosophical, and practical considerations.
