Philosophies

18 pages, 326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Interpretation of Denotational Semantics

by Felice Cardone

Philosophies 2025, 10(3), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10030054 - 4 May 2025

The denotational approach to the semantics of programming languages views program meanings as elements of domains, abstract partially ordered structures that form the basis of a mathematical theory of computation. This paper discusses how the interpretation of these structures as models of information [...] Read more.

The denotational approach to the semantics of programming languages views program meanings as elements of domains, abstract partially ordered structures that form the basis of a mathematical theory of computation. This paper discusses how the interpretation of these structures as models of information in computation has evolved into the interactive view of domains represented by game semantics. As a unifying motif of these developments, we propose the interpretation of program meanings as fulfillments of intentions suggested by Heyting’s phenomenological meaning explanation of intuitionistic logical constants, recently carried on by van Atten and Tieszen. We will also make an attempt to interpret this idea in the light of a pragmatic view of computation as communication, connecting it to the foundation of game semantics for programming languages and looking at this pragmatic turn as a source of new intentionalities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Semantics and Computation)

16 pages, 325 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On Divine Rebaptism

by Felipe G. A. Moreira

Philosophies 2025, 10(3), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10030053 - 29 Apr 2025

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Abstract

Divine rebaptism occurs when a deity renames an entity with a proper name N*, which is pronounced differently or is orthographically distinct from the proper name N this entity previously had. Genesis 17:5 and 17:15 illustrate this phenomenon or alleged phenomenon while [...] Read more.

Divine rebaptism occurs when a deity renames an entity with a proper name N*, which is pronounced differently or is orthographically distinct from the proper name N this entity previously had. Genesis 17:5 and 17:15 illustrate this phenomenon or alleged phenomenon while raising two questions not yet addressed. First, the identity question: Are those named “Abram” and “Sarai”, respectively, identical to those named “Abraham” and “Sarah” in Genesis? Second, the semantic question: What picture of the semantics of proper names best accounts for the divine rebaptisms portrayed in Genesis? This essay begins by motivating these questions; it indicates that they should—in an interdisciplinary fashion—appeal to Pentateuch specialists and philosophers interested in the semantics of proper names. Then, a case is made for the claim that though Genesis does not provide sufficient evidence to answer the identity question, it indicates a response to the semantic one: that especially in Genesis 17:5 and 17:15, this text points to gradation semantics. This is the view that proper names have the properties of being meaningful, indirect, flaccid, flexible, and lexically univocal in distinct degrees, depending on their context of use. Full article

14 pages, 398 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phytometamorphosis: An Ontology of Becoming in Amazonian Women’s Poetry About Plants

by Patricia Vieira

Philosophies 2025, 10(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10030052 - 29 Apr 2025

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Abstract

Metamorphosis is central to Indigenous Amazonian cosmologies, which often posit a period in the past when transformations from one being into another proliferated. This time gave way to the relative stability of the present that always runs the risk of going back to [...] Read more.

Metamorphosis is central to Indigenous Amazonian cosmologies, which often posit a period in the past when transformations from one being into another proliferated. This time gave way to the relative stability of the present that always runs the risk of going back to an ongoing process of transmutation. In this article, I highlight the significance of plants in Amerindian ontologies of becoming as catalysts of metamorphic movements through their entheogenic effects, through their curative properties and as the ancestors and teachers of humans. Beyond being the facilitators of other entities’ transformations and the virtual grandparents of all beings, plants are also masters of metamorphosis, displaying much more plasticity in adapting to their surroundings than animals. I argue that contemporary Amazonian women’s poetry translates the multiple transformations of vegetal life into literary form. In many Amazonian Indigenous communities, women have traditionally been the ones responsible for plant cultivation, while, in Western societies, women are often associated to certain parts of plants, such as flowers, and to nature as a whole. In the article, I analyze the poetry of Colombian author Anastasia Candre Yamacuri (1962–2014) and Peruvian writer Ana Varela Tafur (1963-), who emphasize the metamorphic potential of plants and the ontology of becoming at play in Amazonia. I contend that women’s writing on plants reflects evolving views on both plants’ and women’s roles in Amazonian societies, marked by rapid social transformation and environmental destruction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Poesis: Aesthetics, Philosophy and Indigenous Thought)

10 pages, 223 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enactivism, Health, AI, and Non-Neurotypical Individuals: Toward Contextualized, Personalized, and Ethically Grounded Interventions

by Jordi Vallverdú

Philosophies 2025, 10(3), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10030051 - 28 Apr 2025

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Abstract

The enactive approach offers a powerful theoretical lens for designing artificial intelligence (AI) systems intended to support the health and well-being of non-neurotypical individuals, including those on the autism spectrum and those with with ADHD, dyslexia, or other forms of neurodivergence. By emphasizing [...] Read more.

The enactive approach offers a powerful theoretical lens for designing artificial intelligence (AI) systems intended to support the health and well-being of non-neurotypical individuals, including those on the autism spectrum and those with with ADHD, dyslexia, or other forms of neurodivergence. By emphasizing embodiment, relationality, and participatory sense-making, enactivism encourages AI-based interventions that are highly personalized, context-sensitive, and ethically aware. This paper explores how existing AI applications—ranging from socially assistive robots and virtual reality (VR) therapies to language-processing apps and personalized treatment planning—may be enhanced by incorporating enactivist principles. Despite their promise, practical adoption of AI technologies in real-world clinical practice remains limited, and persistent challenges such as algorithmic bias, privacy concerns, and the tendency to overlook subjective dimensions raise cautionary notes. Drawing on relevant philosophical literature, empirical studies, and cross-disciplinary debates (including the friction and potential synergies between predictive processing and enactivism), we argue that AI solutions grounded in enactivist thinking can more effectively honor user autonomy, acknowledge the embodied nature of neurodiverse cognition, and avoid reductive standardizations. This expanded, revised version integrates insights on neurodiversity, mental health paradigms, and the ethical imperatives of AI deployment, thereby offering a more comprehensive roadmap for researchers, clinicians, and system developers alike. Full article

11 pages, 214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“The Problem of Speech in Merleau-Ponty: My View of ‘Speaking Speech’ and ‘Spoken Speech’ in Light of Ontogenesis”

by Rajiv Kaushik

Philosophies 2025, 10(3), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10030050 - 26 Apr 2025

Viewed by 189

Abstract

The turn away from phenomenology in 20th century French philosophy was in large part due to an increased emphasis on Ferdinand de Saussure’s notion of “linguistic structure”, i.e., that language is the internal system of differences between signs. Thinkers such as Paul Ricoeur [...] Read more.

The turn away from phenomenology in 20th century French philosophy was in large part due to an increased emphasis on Ferdinand de Saussure’s notion of “linguistic structure”, i.e., that language is the internal system of differences between signs. Thinkers such as Paul Ricoeur and Jean-François Lyotard famously offered a “semiological challenge” to phenomenology. The idea was that phenomenology, especially Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, reduces to the sensible world and cannot think linguistic structure. Thus, the argument goes that phenomenology leaves out a basic element of human life: not only can it not think linguistic structure, but it also cannot think about elements, e.g., writing and text, which are its result. This paper takes up this challenge, especially in reference to Merleau-Ponty’s terminology in Phenomenology of Perception of “speaking speech” (parole parlante) and “spoken speech” (parole parlée). I point out that, in retrospect of his later work, Merleau-Ponty very clearly did want to take linguistic structure seriously. This, however, means that we need to reconsider some of the basic themes in his work. Taking inspiration from the recently published “problem of speech” lectures, I reconstruct Merleau-Ponty’s idea that speech is a concrete limit situation from which we get both the idea of a language structure in which there are differences and of an ontological difference between being and beings. This is an internal criticism of both linguistic structure and formal ontology. I begin the paper by noting that, in Merleau-Ponty’s descriptions of the tacit and spoken cogito, also in Phenomenology of Perception, Merleau-Ponty criticizes the notion of a subject to which language refers and highlights the notion of a subject that defies representational and denotational structure. I do not, however, go along with Merleau-Ponty’s own criticism of the tacit ego, which he ultimately declared too subjectivistic. Ultimately, I hope to stress the importance of linguistic structure and writing in Merleau-Ponty’s ontology. This is an ontology of that is fragile and requires symbolization. This paper emphasizes under-developed themes in Merleau-Ponty’s work such as bodily event, difference, symbolization, and the writing of philosophy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Merleau-Ponty and Rereading the Phenomenology of Perception)

21 pages, 410 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Geometry of Thought: Circling Through Concepts

by Miloš Adžić, Filip Jevtić and Jovana Kostić

Philosophies 2025, 10(3), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10030049 - 25 Apr 2025

Viewed by 204

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to shed light on the nature of mathematical practice, i.e., on “doing mathematics”. It explores Gödel’s perspective, which offers an approach to understanding mathematics centered on concepts, objects, and structures. The paper has two parts. In the [...] Read more.

The goal of this paper is to shed light on the nature of mathematical practice, i.e., on “doing mathematics”. It explores Gödel’s perspective, which offers an approach to understanding mathematics centered on concepts, objects, and structures. The paper has two parts. In the first part, we situate Gödel’s reflections against the backdrop of formalism and Platonism. In the second part, we present the view shaped by Gödel’s ideas that resonates with contemporary discussions in the philosophy of mathematical practice, particularly in its attention to abstraction, generalization, and conceptual discovery, as essential components of mathematical reasoning. We illustrate this view through concrete examples from category theory and geometry. This approach reveals that mathematical practice, far from being merely formal, is a dynamic interplay of intuition, abstraction, structural, and conceptual reasoning. Such a focus underscores the need for developing the theory of concepts along the lines proposed by Gödel to provide a more natural framework for thinking about mathematics. Full article

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18 pages, 241 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stylistic Conventions and Complex Group Collaboration

by Marc Slors

Philosophies 2025, 10(3), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10030048 - 23 Apr 2025

Viewed by 214

Abstract

Social etiquette, dress codes and culture-specific architectural features are undoubtedly stylistic conventions. Literature from anthropology, sociology and ecological psychology suggests a coordinative function of such conventions, without, however, offering a theoretical analysis of this function. The best-known philosophical theory of conventions—by David Lewis—does [...] Read more.

Social etiquette, dress codes and culture-specific architectural features are undoubtedly stylistic conventions. Literature from anthropology, sociology and ecological psychology suggests a coordinative function of such conventions, without, however, offering a theoretical analysis of this function. The best-known philosophical theory of conventions—by David Lewis—does offer a theoretical analysis of the coordinative function of conventions, but stylistic conventions typically fall outside the purview of this theory. The present paper suggests a remedy for this situation by putting to use the notion of ‘correlation devices’, developed as an addition to the Lewisian framework. I argue that stylistic conventions function as markers for social categories without which these categories become cognitively intractable. Given that social categories are a precondition for complex coordinated role-divisions, and given that such role-divisions are a major part of the explanation for our evolutionary success, I argue that it is likely that the psychological proclivities that make us susceptible to stylistic conventions can be explained as the result of group-level selection pressures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Collective Agency and Intentionality)

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Philosophies, Volume 10, Issue 3 (June 2025) – 7 articles

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