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Language and Consciousness in Early Buddhist Thought: On the Early Reflections on the Theme of Language and the Perception of Reality in the Pāli Canon
Which Intelligible Words? Reading Femicide Through Rancière’s Concept of ‘La Mésentente’
Artistic Aesthetic Value in Participatory Art

Journal Description

Philosophies

Philosophies is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal promoting re-integration of diverse forms of philosophical reflection and scientific research on fundamental issues in science, technology and culture, published bimonthly online by MDPI. The International Society for Information Studies (IS4SI) is affiliated with Philosophies and their members receive a discount on the article processing charge.

Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
High Visibility: indexed within Scopus, ESCI (Web of Science), PhilPapers, and other databases.
Journal Rank: JCR - Q2 (History and Philosophy of Science) / CiteScore - Q1 (Philosophy)
Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 35.5 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 6.4 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the second half of 2024).
Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.

Impact Factor: 0.6 (2023)

Imprint Information Journal Flyer Open Access ISSN: 2409-9287

Latest Articles

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 (registering DOI) - 29 Apr 2025

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 (registering DOI) - 29 Apr 2025

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

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

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

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

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)

23 pages, 1550 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plato’s Mathematical Psychophysics of Color

by Paul Redding

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020047 - 20 Apr 2025

Aristotle is often regarded as providing a potentially appropriate model for a naturalistic human psychology that is able to reconcile the commonly opposed normative or “manifest” and factual or “scientific” images of the world and restore to the world the qualities that constitute [...] Read more.

Aristotle is often regarded as providing a potentially appropriate model for a naturalistic human psychology that is able to reconcile the commonly opposed normative or “manifest” and factual or “scientific” images of the world and restore to the world the qualities that constitute its value. Such Aristotelian features were taken up after Newton by Goethe in his Theory of Color in his attempt to restore the actual color to the world that had seemingly been drained of it by Newtonian science. Here, I argue that beneath the “modificationalist” elements that Goethe took from Aristotle lies a mathematical approach to color originating in Plato that exploits similarities between color and tonal consonances and dissonances. The logical structure of Goethe’s color theory has recently been investigated by proponents of “universal logic”, but only when this theory is viewed against the background of Plato’s appropriation of Pythagorean harmonic theory does its full explanatory potential become apparent. Full article

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13 pages, 370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Retrogradation of Truth and Omniscience

by Ciro De Florio and Aldo Frigerio

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020046 - 17 Apr 2025

Todd and Rabern have argued that assuming future contingents are untrue, together with accepting the principle of the retrogradation of truth (

p \to PF (p)

), implies that it is metaphysically impossible that an omniscient entity exists. Since the possibility [...] Read more.

Todd and Rabern have argued that assuming future contingents are untrue, together with accepting the principle of the retrogradation of truth (

p \to PF (p)

), implies that it is metaphysically impossible that an omniscient entity exists. Since the possibility of an omniscient being is a metaphyisical and theological thesis that should not depend on assumed temporal semantics, Todd and Rabern conclude that, if one wishes to maintain the untruth of future contingents, one must reject the principle of the retrogradation of truth. This paper aims to show that Todd and Rabern’s argument fails. We present a temporal semantics in which future contingents are untrue, the principle of the retrogradation of truth is valid, and the potential existence of an omniscient and temporal being is preserved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Concepts of Time and Tense)

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32 pages, 487 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Possibility of Cosmopolitan Philosophy: Integrating Ontologism and Phenomenological Hermeneutics Within a Post-Foundationalist Framework

by Abbas Jong

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020045 - 15 Apr 2025

This paper examines the intellectual crises of (post-)modern philosophy, proposing a cosmopolitan philosophy as a remedy for the philosophical fragmentation that has contributed to global intellectual and cultural disintegration. Drawing on the ontological framework of Semyon Frank and enriched by Henry Corbin’s comparative [...] Read more.

This paper examines the intellectual crises of (post-)modern philosophy, proposing a cosmopolitan philosophy as a remedy for the philosophical fragmentation that has contributed to global intellectual and cultural disintegration. Drawing on the ontological framework of Semyon Frank and enriched by Henry Corbin’s comparative philosophy and phenomenological hermeneutics, the paper establishes a new foundation for constructing a cosmopolitan philosophy within a post-foundationalist framework. Frank’s concept of “All-Unity” offers a metaphysical basis that reconciles the universal with the particular, resolving the antinomies of universality versus singularity and historicity versus non-historicity as foundational conditions of the possibility for this philosophy. Corbin’s focus on intuition and the imaginal realm further deepens this approach, enabling the integration of diverse intellectual traditions while honoring their unique and particular contributions. This paper argues that cosmopolitan philosophy can provide a coherent framework for engaging with the complexities of global thought and diverse intellectual traditions, offering a foundation for mutual understanding and addressing the existential crises of contemporary life. Full article

19 pages, 201 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Camerados: Deleuze and Whitman in Love

by Michael Hinds

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020044 - 15 Apr 2025

This essay seeks to stress the importance of the American poet Walt Whitman to Gilles Deleuze, using how love is variously explored to think about their methods in relationality. I firstly consider how many classic responses to Whitman express division regarding his work. [...] Read more.

This essay seeks to stress the importance of the American poet Walt Whitman to Gilles Deleuze, using how love is variously explored to think about their methods in relationality. I firstly consider how many classic responses to Whitman express division regarding his work. This is indicated by how D.H. Lawrence stresses the satisfactions and exhilarations of reading Whitman but also refers to the sense of embarrassment and shame which readers might experience on doing so, not least because of Whitman’s own apparent shamelessness. For Lawrence, this is exemplified by Whitman’s proclamation that he “aches with amorous love”, as if he were a Deleuzian desiring machine existing only to ache and nothing but. Yet there is no such embarrassment detectable in Deleuze’s responses to Whitman’s work, and his responses are characterized by their insistence that Whitman always insists upon a dimension to experience beyond such conventional desires. He is more than a poet of the body with organs, which in turn enables an understanding of his work as an anticipation of Deleuze and Guattari’s body without organs as it was first expounded in Anti-Oedipus. To explore this further, direct and indirect correspondences between Deleuze and Whitman are explored, with particular attention to a range of poems from the 1855 Leaves of Grass. These readings show that if there is a conceptual relationship in their work, their style and syntax are also a way in which they relate thought and action. To triangulate the consideration of the varieties of love that are manifest in Deleuze and Whitman, I use Hannah Stark’s essay on Deleuze and love, showing how different aspects of Deleuze’s writing and thought either consciously or unconsciously relate to the American poet. I reflect upon Deleuze’s claim in his essay on the poet that Whitman’s sustained advocacy of “comradely love” represents a practice of radical relationality, and that this also offers a sense of social and political transformability that is key to both. To provide a final shape to this discussion, I refer to Fredric Jameson’s posthumously published seminars on Deleuze, in which he gives particular attention to the philosopher’s particular interest in American literature. Ultimately, the essay finds that Whitman is given a unique status in Deleuze, one which even threatens to jeopardize his own philosophical system, and that the reason for this may well be love. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophies of Love)

27 pages, 5034 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reality, Truth, and Detachment: Comparing Buddhist Thought with Western Philosophy and Science

by Aldo Stella and Federico Divino

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020043 - 9 Apr 2025

The present work, employing the tools provided by comparative philosophy, aims to address several fundamental concepts, including the theme of objective reality linked to the theme of subjective experience, and the theme of absolute truth connected to the issue of determined or phenomenal [...] Read more.

The present work, employing the tools provided by comparative philosophy, aims to address several fundamental concepts, including the theme of objective reality linked to the theme of subjective experience, and the theme of absolute truth connected to the issue of determined or phenomenal truths. The focal point to be highlighted is that these conceptual nodes indeed appear in early Buddhist philosophy found in the Pāli canon but find significant resonance in Western philosophy, that is, in reflective and critical thought originating in ancient Greece. As an eminently theoretical work, this paper’s objective is to demonstrate how the main assertions found in Buddhist philosophy, primarily the outcome of striking insights expressed through iconic stylistic elements or aphorisms, are articulated through reasoned arguments in Western philosophy. We have endeavored to distill these arguments precisely to elucidate the shared theoretical intention. Full article

21 pages, 265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Virtue of Aggression in Sport

by Samantha Brennan and Evan Thomas Knott

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020042 - 8 Apr 2025

This paper argues that aggression, while often conflated with violence and harm, is a virtue in sports. We distinguish aggression from violence and assertiveness, exploring its positive moral value within rule-governed contexts. We examine the permissibility of violence in sports, considering consent and [...] Read more.

This paper argues that aggression, while often conflated with violence and harm, is a virtue in sports. We distinguish aggression from violence and assertiveness, exploring its positive moral value within rule-governed contexts. We examine the permissibility of violence in sports, considering consent and the public good while acknowledging the potential for harm and the importance of restraint. The paper uses anecdotal evidence and philosophical analysis to support the claim that controlled aggression, a form of self-restraint, is a valuable skill both in and outside of sport. Finally, we explore the relationship between aggression and other virtues like sportsmanship, highlighting the importance of context in evaluating aggressive behaviours. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophy of Sport and Physical Culture)

13 pages, 330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Future Actuality and Truth Ascriptions

by Andrea Iacona and Giuseppe Spolaore

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020041 - 5 Apr 2025

One question that arises in connection with Ockhamism, and that perhaps has not yet received the attention it deserves, is how a coherent formal account of truth ascriptions can be provided by using a suitable truth predicate in the object language. We address [...] Read more.

One question that arises in connection with Ockhamism, and that perhaps has not yet received the attention it deserves, is how a coherent formal account of truth ascriptions can be provided by using a suitable truth predicate in the object language. We address this question and show its implications for some semantic issues that have been discussed in the literature on future contingents. Arguably, understanding how truth ascriptions work at the formal level helps to gain a deeper insight into Ockhamism itself. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Concepts of Time and Tense)

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17 pages, 262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Meaning and Reference in Programming Languages

by Nicola Angius

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020040 - 1 Apr 2025

This paper provides an analysis of the meaning–reference problem, as traditionally advanced in the philosophy of language, for imperative programming languages. Addressing the problem is relevant for the philosophy of computer science in the context of the debate of whether simulative programs can [...] Read more.

This paper provides an analysis of the meaning–reference problem, as traditionally advanced in the philosophy of language, for imperative programming languages. Addressing the problem is relevant for the philosophy of computer science in the context of the debate of whether simulative programs can be considered representational theories of their simulated systems. This paper challenges the thesis that, since programming languages have semantics, they also have reference, presumably to the external world. First, denotational, operational, game theoretic, and axiomatic semantics are epistemologically analysed to provide a theory of meaning for high-level language programs. It is argued that programming language semantics can be seen, to some extent, under the light of Fregean descriptivism, thereby rejecting the view that it is reference that determines meaning. Secondly, descriptivist, causal, character, and intentionalist theories of reference are examined to argue that meaning is not sufficient for programming languages to determine reference, thereby rejecting the view that meaning determines reference. It is argued that it is the intentions of agents that allow programming language semantics to identify referents. The paper concludes that if the semantics of programming languages may determine their reference, the latter is not to the external world but to the internal operations of the implementation executing them. This does not prevent simulative programs from representing empirical systems, but they do so not on the basis of programming language semantics. Full article

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

21 pages, 274 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Automatism and Creativity in Contact Improvisation: Re-Inventing Habit and Opening Up to Change

by Serena Massimo

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020039 - 30 Mar 2025

This article aims to show that the artistic creativity at work in improvised dance depends on the acquisition of automatisms through the capacity of gestural repetition to dissolve the instrumental character of the movements performed and leads to a focus on the mode [...] Read more.

This article aims to show that the artistic creativity at work in improvised dance depends on the acquisition of automatisms through the capacity of gestural repetition to dissolve the instrumental character of the movements performed and leads to a focus on the mode of their performance. After illustrating how the rupture and experimental character of postmodern dance relies on repetition and the guiding role of feeling in contact improvisation, an analysis is made of how the abandonment of feeling—conveyed by the abandonment of gravity—that takes place in contact improvisation is indicative of the transition from a controlling attitude aimed at “problem solving” to a creative attitude aimed at “problem finding”. The recourse to the Straussian notion of pathicity, the valorisation of an aesthetic—affective, expressive, emergent, and relational—character of creativity, and the adoption of a neophenomenological approach will be functional in showing that improvisational artistic creativity arises from the acquisition of a sensitivity to otherness that makes one accustomed to respond in ever new ways to the affective stimuli coming from the circumstances and the affective state underlying the dance style and one’s own interpretation of it. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Aesthetics of the Performing Arts in the Contemporary Landscape)

22 pages, 626 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Absorbed Concert Listening: A Qualitative, Phenomenological Inquiry

by Simon Høffding, Remy Haswell-Martin and Nanette Nielsen

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020038 - 27 Mar 2025

This paper pursues a phenomenological investigation of the nature of absorbed listening in Western, classical music concert audiences. This investigation is based on a data-set of 16 in-depth phenomenological interviews with audience members from three classical concerts with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and [...] Read more.

This paper pursues a phenomenological investigation of the nature of absorbed listening in Western, classical music concert audiences. This investigation is based on a data-set of 16 in-depth phenomenological interviews with audience members from three classical concerts with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra conducted in spring 2024. We identify seven major themes, namely “sharedness”, “attention”, “spontaneous thought/mental imagery”, “modes of listening” “absorption”, “distraction”, and “strong emotional experiences”, and interpret these in light of relevant ideas in phenomenology, cognitive psychology, and ecological aesthetics, more precisely “passive synthesis” from Husserl, the “sense of agency” from Gallagher, and “mind surfing” from Høffding, Nielsen, and Laeng. We show that, like absorbed musical performance, absorbed musical listening comes in many shapes and can be grasped as instantiating variations of passive synthesis, the sense of agency, and mind surfing. We conclude that absorbed listening circles around a kind of paradox of passivity, characterised by a sense of loss of egoic control arising from particular forms of invested, intensive perceptual, cognitive, and affective engagement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Aesthetics of the Performing Arts in the Contemporary Landscape)

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15 pages, 502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Causal Deviance in Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs): A Challenge for the Philosophy of Action

by Artem S. Yashin

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020037 - 25 Mar 2025

The problem of deviant causal chains is a classic challenge in the philosophy of action. According to the causal theory of action (CTA), an event qualifies as an action if it is caused by the agent’s intention. In cases of deviant causal chains, [...] Read more.

The problem of deviant causal chains is a classic challenge in the philosophy of action. According to the causal theory of action (CTA), an event qualifies as an action if it is caused by the agent’s intention. In cases of deviant causal chains, this condition is met, but the agent loses control of the situation. To address this, theorists suggest that the intention must cause the action “in the right way”. However, defining what constitutes the “right way” is difficult, as the distinction between having and not having control can be subtle. In this paper, I demonstrate that brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide important insights into basic causal deviance. I examine how existing strategies might account for deviant causation in BCI use and highlight their challenges. I advocate for reliability strategies—approaches that focus on identifying which causal pathways reliably connect an agent’s intentions to their outcomes. Additionally, I compare two BCIs that differ in their sources of occasional malfunction. I argue that the presence of causal deviance in a given case depends on the boundaries of the system that enables action. Such boundary analysis is unnecessary for bodily movements; however, for basic actions performed through a machine, it becomes essential. Full article

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10 pages, 192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Psycholinguistics of Self-Talk in Logic-Based Therapy: Using a Toolbox of Philosophical Antidotes to Overcome Self-Destructive Speech Acts

by Elliot D. Cohen

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020036 - 22 Mar 2025

This article discusses the nature of self-talk, characterizing it as a psycholinguistic activity consisting of the performance of speech acts directed to oneself. More specifically, it examines negative speech acts as embedded in behavioral and emotional reasoning, the performance of which creates behavioral [...] Read more.

This article discusses the nature of self-talk, characterizing it as a psycholinguistic activity consisting of the performance of speech acts directed to oneself. More specifically, it examines negative speech acts as embedded in behavioral and emotional reasoning, the performance of which creates behavioral and emotional disturbances for the agent, such as anxiety, depression, guilt, and anger. This characterization has important implications for psychotherapy, namely, that helping clients to identify these speech acts and replacing them with ones that have antidotal properties can be therapeutic. According to Logic-Based Therapy (LBT), a popular form of philosophical counseling, cardinal or key self-destructive speech acts can be counteracted by uplifting philosophical speech acts when the latter resonate with clients. This means that philosophical psychotherapies, such as LBT, can potentially have significant therapeutic value. Based on this premise, this article introduces and discusses an AI-generated “Toolbox” of philosophical antidotes created by the Institute for Logic-Based Therapy and Consultation in the United States to help clients find suitable, resonant philosophical antidotes to their self-destructive speech acts. Full article

13 pages, 228 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Unconditionality of Love: Value, Singularity and Sacrifice

by Felix Ó Murchadha

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020035 - 21 Mar 2025

This article addresses the question of love’s unconditionality. Drawing mainly on Husserl, Scheler, Arendt, and Patočka, it shows how love is both ubiquitous and unnecessary. There is no limit to what can be loved, but equally, all things can be related to without [...] Read more.

This article addresses the question of love’s unconditionality. Drawing mainly on Husserl, Scheler, Arendt, and Patočka, it shows how love is both ubiquitous and unnecessary. There is no limit to what can be loved, but equally, all things can be related to without love. Love is at once unnecessary and yet constitutive of relations. It is shown that this peculiar characteristic of love is indicative of the fact that in love the object of love is seen in its singular being, and its qualities appear as expressions of that singularity. Love in that sense is transformative of the relation with the love-object, and this transformation becomes manifest in the commitment of the lover to sacrifice, following the call of the beloved. This sacrifice is a ‘sacrifice for nothing’ (Patočka), reflecting the unconditionality of the love-object through a suspension of all instrumentality and exchange relations. This article concludes with a short reading of the ‘good Samaritan’ parable as giving exemplary expression to the unconditionality of love. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophies of Love)

13 pages, 652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Infinite Time and the Boltzmann Brain Hypothesis

by M. Joshua Mozersky

Philosophies 2025, 10(2), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10020034 - 20 Mar 2025

Many argue that the standard understanding of the second law of thermodynamics combined with the supposition, backed by recent scientific evidence, that the future is infinite entails that one is, most likely, a momentary Boltzmann brain that will quickly disintegrate into the cosmos. [...] Read more.

Many argue that the standard understanding of the second law of thermodynamics combined with the supposition, backed by recent scientific evidence, that the future is infinite entails that one is, most likely, a momentary Boltzmann brain that will quickly disintegrate into the cosmos. The argument is as follows: (1) Given infinite time, the universe will eventually reach thermodynamic equilibrium; (2) once there, every possible fluctuation away from equilibrium, no matter how improbable, will recur, ad infinitum; (3) those fluctuations that create stable, long-lived creatures, such as we take ourselves to be, will be extremely rare compared to those that create short-lived brains that mistakenly think they are ordinary human beings; hence, by statistical reasoning, (4) one is, with overwhelming probability, just a fleeting instantiation of experience. I argue that this reasoning is invalid since it rests on an error regarding the relationship between infinite sets and their subsets. Once this error is eliminated, the power of the argument fades, and the evidence that we are ordinary human beings becomes decisive. Surprisingly, I find that the best argument for the Boltzmann brain hypothesis requires the assumption that the future is very long but finite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Nature of Structure and the Structure of Nature)

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