Publisher: Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Print ISSN: 1313-888X Online-ISSN: 2367-5438
Language: English Pages: 108-109
Language: English Pages: 110-123 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp20251729 Keywords: thick mechanisms; thin mechanisms; evolutionary history; etiological functions; artifact functions; machine analogy; human genome; de novo genes and proteins Abstract: The famous Dobzhansky’s (1973) dictum, according to which “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”, is supposed to involve all the biological sciences. But, what about biological mechanisms, such as, most notably in the philosophical literature, the mechanism of protein synthesis? If the dictum applies here as well, how should we correctly account for its evolutionary-historical character? Recently, Garson (2023) has argued that whether or not something is a biological mechanism partly depends on its history. In this paper, I examine how the mechanism of protein synthesis can evolve from accidental and unstructured causal processes occurring in the genome (see Van Oss and Carvunis 2019). Such historical analysis allows me to outline some general features of an important type of biological mechanism. It shows that such features can be discerned without invoking the mechanism’s evolutionary history in the way argued by Garson’s current account, and that the sense of mechanism in question is not typical for biology.
Language: English Pages: 124-137 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517210 Keywords: AI in healthcare; Black Box problem; Patient’s Autonomy; Informed consent; Rule utilitarianism; Ethics of AI Abstract: One of the most significant ethical concerns in the context of the use of AI in healthcare is the patient’s autonomy and informed consent. The problem of autonomy emerges from the concern that black box AI could endanger patient autonomy because its use in healthcare is incompatible with informed consent practice in healthcare. In this paper, I argue that AI’s opaque workings can be reconciled with morally justified healthcare practices through a coherent ethical framework based on consequentialism, and AI can preserve the autonomy of patients by guaranteeing transparency, disclosure and probabilistic assessment during the treatment process.Further, I will contend that although AI’s decision-making process remains opaque in terms of the internal workings of its algorithms, this lack of transparency does not necessarily undermine the ethical principle of informed consent if we employ “The rule of transparency and probabilistic assessment” grounded on a consequentialist framework.
Language: English Pages: 138-145 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517211 Keywords: A puzzle about paradoxes; Chisholm’s modal paradox; modal tolerance; iterated modality Abstract: The text identifies a puzzle about modal paradoxes: that if solvable, they are pseudo-paradoxes, and if insoluble, they fail to be instructive. I illustrate the point with the indicative case of Chisholm’s paradox and point to possible deflationary uses for paradoxes.
Language: English Pages: 146-164 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517212 Keywords: Bertrand Russell; causation in science; causal realism; Lewis' counterfactual theory of causation; temporal asymmetry Abstract: In his seminal paper On the Notion of the Cause, Bertrand Russell famously attempts to show why the view that causation is a real and mind-independent feature of the world - called "causal realism" is false. His arguments are often cited as a definitive challenge to the metaphysical tradition that takes causality as a fundamental principle of reality. Yet, despite the apparent plausibility and power of his arguments, causal realism is still a predominant view within philosophy of causation today. This paper seeks to explore how causal realism has endured Russell's attack, examining not only the weaknesses in his arguments, but also the ways in which contemporary philosophers have redefined and strengthened the realist position. By analyzing the responses to Russell's arguments, we will try to pinpoint the lessons learned from his critique and demonstrate how it has informed the development of more sophisticated theories of causation. Doing so will also contribute to a redefinition of causal realism, showing how the debate with Russell has enriched our understanding of what it means for causal theory to be realistic.
Language: English Pages: 165-185 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517213 Keywords: conceptual analysis; idiolect; meaning; semantic externalism; experimental philosophy Abstract: We can distinguish between conceptual analysis of terms in the communal language and conceptual analysis of terms in one’s own idiolect. The former can be called “communal conceptual analysis”, whereas the latter can be called “idiolectal conceptual analysis”. The present paper provides a systematic exposition and defence of idiolectal conceptual analysis, considering its possible and actual use in philosophical inquiry, as well as some of the most important criticisms that can be raised against it. The two most influential kinds of criticism that have been raised against conceptual analysis in general are based on semantic externalism and empirical studies of judgements about possible cases respectively. I argue that both of these kinds of criticism apply mainly to communal conceptual analysis and not to idiolectal conceptual analysis. Furthermore, I argue that even though there is some evidence that most well-known and widely discussed instances of using conceptual analysis have been instances of communal conceptual analysis, idiolectal conceptual analysis can also play a significant role in philosophical inquiry. Thus, the paper suggests a shift of focus from communal conceptual analysis to idiolectal conceptual analysis.
Language: English Pages: 186-198 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517214 Keywords: Collective Intentionality; Power; Background; Coercion; Agency Abstract: John Searle argues for a notion of ‘collective intentionality’ that produces social actions with the attributed deontic status function on an external reason, simultaneously recognized by all the members. Social actions depend on the acceptance of a propositional attitude in the light of a constitutive rule and the ‘we intention’ of each member. However, Searle’s intentional theory of actions argues that human beings are rational in nature and freely choose to act as per a desire independent of reason; hence, offering a possibility of unreflective obedience towards social rules. What implications and considerations may emerge while explicating relationships between intentionality, intentional action, the notion of power, and coerced life? This paper assesses the scope of such collective participation (in the Searlean sense) that boils down to a coerced life. The viewpoint of a coerced life is examined along with the notion of intentionality and background, and how these notions translate into a concept of power.
Language: English Pages: 199-213 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517215 Keywords: Temporality; Heidegger; Tertiary Retention; Algorithm; Artificial Intelligence Abstract: This paper examines temporality in the information age, drawing on the philosophical works of Martin Heidegger, Bernard Stiegler, and Hubert Dreyfus. By re-investigating the analysis of the Being of equipment in "Being and Time", the paper argues that Heidegger not only unwittingly foresees the future of technological planetarization but also touches on the question of ‘real-time’ in the use of tools. Retrospectively, Stiegler radically re-elaborates on this question through the figures of Prometheus and Epimetheus, who give the structure of temporality in the name of what he called tertiary retention. However, the paper will show that when one thinks of the determination posed by modern algorithms in machine learning, the question of the future becomes significant. What characterizes the power of intelligent machines is the predictability of the future. However, this is not the spontaneous and subjective anticipation of the individual,but rather leads to the degeneration of the synthesis of reason and various misunderstandings of intelligence. Therefore, the paper suggests rearticulating the light-speed temporal dimension, emphasizing its relevance to concrete technologies and its ongoing significance for cognition in the digital era.
Language: English Pages: 214-227 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517216 Keywords: Socrates; Arguments; Political Obligation; Reconsideration Abstract: In one of Plato’s major dialogues, "The Crito", Socrates, as the leading protagonist, addressed one of the major questions and concerns of political philosophy. The question is: what should be the relationship between the state and citizens? This question raises the problem of political obligation, which is about the moral requirement or duty of citizens to obey the laws and directives of the state, for the first time in the history of philosophy. In defense of political obligation (the duty of citizens to obey the laws of their state) in the dialogue, Socrates demonstrated his respect for Athenian law in his refusal to flee his death sentence. His arguments for political obligation can be summed up in three categories, which are interconnected: first is the argument from the supremacy of the state; second is the argument from gratitude; and third, is the argument from contract. These arguments, for Socrates, justify the total obedience of an individual to the laws of his state. However, different philosophers throughout the epochs that succeeded Socrates have reacted to some of the issues raised by Socrates. Nevertheless, the question of political obligation remains inconclusively discussed in political philosophy; hence, it is an issue that is relevant in contemporary times. Against this background, we retrace the arguments as originally formulated by Socrates, re-examine them in light of the responses of other political philosophers, and argue in this paper using the methods of analysis and critical argumentation, that Socrates’ arguments are not sufficient to justify obedience.
Language: English Pages: 228-232 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517217 Keywords: Alexis de Tocqueville; Democracy in America; Democracy; Equality; Liberty Abstract: This essay offers a critical engagement with "Democracy in America", examining the enduring relevance of Alexis de Tocqueville’s reflections on equality and its intricate relationship with liberty. By reconstructing his analysis of the transition from aristocracy to democracy, it highlights the ambivalent nature of equality, as both a force for social advancement and a latent threat to individual freedom. The essay situates these insights within the broader structural and psychological tensions of modern democratic regimes, where the pursuit of autonomy can paradoxically foster dependence on centralized authority and weaken civic engagement. Addressing key concepts such as majority rule, soft despotism, and the moral foundations of political participation, the essay underscores the necessity of cultivating institutional, cultural, and ethical resources capable of sustaining liberty under the pressures of egalitarianism.
Language: English Pages: 233-248 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/bjp202517218 Keywords: Levinas; ethics; politics; subjectivity; totality; heteronomy; responsibility Abstract: This paper investigates Emmanuel Levinas’ nuanced engagement with politics, highlighting his critique of Western philosophy’s tendency toward totalizing frameworks. Levinas views the political failures of his time as rooted in these philosophical shortcomings, advocating for an “ethical turn” that departs from ontological politics. Through an examination of the complex relationship between ethics and politics in his work, this paper explores Levinas’ notion of subjectivity as “otherwise than political,” shaped by heteronomous responsibility and a critique of totality. By re-evaluating the ethico-political dimensions of his thought, the paper challenges the prevalent view of Levinas as apolitical, positioning him instead as a thinker whose understanding of subjectivity redefines the political as fundamentally ethical.
