No 9 (2025)
Articles
Analysis of two methodologies of knowledge (physicalist-reductive and humanitarian-philosophical)
Abstract
The article analyzes two modern methodological strategies: one oriented towards classical methods of cognition, dating back to Aristotle, which involves the analysis of causality and the reduction of complex phenomena to simpler ideal objects, and the other related to humanitarian thinking and approaches. The first methodology is termed physicalist-reductionist by the author, while the second, following A.P. Ogurtsov, is called humanitarian-philosophical. The following problem is formulated: how are the development of the individual (the person, personality) and the development of humanity connected, as well as the history of an individual's life and the evolution of history, understood, among other things, from a cultural perspective, i.e., as discrete, changing with shifts in culture? While these processes (ontogeny and phylogeny, interpreted broadly rather than solely within a biological approach) are distinct. To address this issue, the author discusses two case studies: Plato's "Symposium" and a reconstruction of the work of Emanuel Swedenborg. Several planes of research are identified, which are connected, on one hand, to the logic and methodology of the author's investigation, and on the other hand, to how they correspond to reality (history, culture, language, creativity, reflection). The author asserts that it is unnecessary to determine how these realities are interconnected. He suggests that they have already formed, but the links between these realities are unknown, and it is not essential for solving most problems to know these connections. At the end of the article, within the framework of humanitarian-philosophical methodology, some issues regarding the transition from the modern era to the next great culture (the future culture) are discussed. In particular, the author claims that the heterogeneity of the development of communities and individuals on Earth, the growing egoism and social conflicts, the negative role of grand ideas, modern institutions not interested in serious changes, and several other factors compel us to recognize the idea of the noosphere as utopian.
Philosophical thought. 2025;(9):1-12
1-12
The conflict between dream and reality in the works of F.M. Dostoevsky (based on the novel "Crime and Punishment," the story "White Nights," and "Notes from Underground")
Abstract
The subject of this study is the artistic representation of the fundamental conflict between dream and reality in the prose of F. M. Dostoevsky. The analysis focuses on key works of the writer that reflect the evolution of this conflict: the novel "Crime and Punishment," as well as the novellas "White Nights" and "Notes from Underground." Special attention is paid to tracing the genesis and transformation of the archetypal image of the "dreamer," the mechanisms of forming the so-called "third sphere" of consciousness, and a deep philosophical-ethical interpretation of this opposition. The methodological basis of the research is grounded in a synthesis of literary and philosophical approaches and includes tools for comparative, structural-semantic, and motivational analysis, as well as an intertextual approach. The scientific novelty of the work lies in a systemic examination of the conflict between dream and reality not as a simple binary opposition of "illusion – objective world," but as a complex generator of a particular subjective reality. Within the framework of the study, the concept of the "third sphere" is introduced and substantiated – a psychological space of mutual penetration, diffusion, and transformation of dream and reality. The conducted analysis allows us to conclude that in Dostoevsky's work, dream undergoes significant evolution: from a romantic escape from reality, it transforms into a powerful tool for moral experimentation and existential breakthrough. The conflict in Dostoevsky is resolved not through the victory of one side, but dialectically – through the emergence of a new, often tragic, subjectivity. This is vividly demonstrated by the central images: Raskolnikov's theory collapses when confronted with an existential reality that does not fit into rational schemes; the dreamer from "White Nights" embodies the tragedy of a consciousness that has enclosed itself in a self-sufficient illusory world; and the Underground Man absurdly pushes back against the total rationalization of human existence. Thus, Dostoevsky's work represents a profound artistic anthropology of the crisis of modern consciousness, torn between utopian projects and the existential truth of human nature.
Philosophical thought. 2025;(9):13-23
13-23
From Simondon's procedural ontology to Barad's toolkit of intra-action: the metaphysics of individuation and its practical application.
Abstract
This article is devoted to the study of the productive convergence of two key projects for posthumanist thought: the procedural ontology of Gilbert Simondon and the agentic realism of Karen Barad. Barad's theory emerges not only as an immediate continuation but also as a radical transformation of the Simondonian project, translating it from a metaphysical plane into an epistemologically and ethically charged field of practices. It is demonstrated that the metaphysical framework of the process of individuation, developed by Simondon in contrast to the substantial tradition, finds its development and operationalization in Barad's conceptual apparatus. While Simondon offers an ontology of becoming, originating from the pre-individual field of potentials and tensions, Barad develops a rigorous epistemological and ethical toolkit for this ontology by introducing the concepts of intra-action, agential cutting, and nonhuman agency, which allows for the translation of abstract philosophical propositions into the realm of specific practices. The methodological approach of the research is based on the sequential application of complementary methods: from Simondon's procedural ontology, which unveils the metaphysics of becoming in technical being through continuous individuation, to Barad's framework of intra-action, which operationalizes this process through the concept of the mutual constitution of actors within the "phenomenon-apparatus." Such a synthesis not only theoretically describes the mechanisms of techno-social individuation in computational environments but also offers practical frameworks for analyzing how material-discursive practices transform the very fabric of experience, creating new modes of governance that operate not through direct coercion but through the reconfiguration of the conditions of possibility for action itself. The relevance of this study is determined by the growing interest in non-classical ontologies that transcend the boundaries of correlationalism and anthropocentrism. The novelty of the work lies in the systematic comparison of the concepts of Simondon and Barad, revealing not only their thematic closeness but also their relationship of mutual supplementation and continuity. Such an analysis allows for tracing the connection between these authors while laying the groundwork for interdisciplinary research at the intersection of philosophy, science, and art. In particular, Barad proposes a methodology for working with Simondon's "pre-individual," based on an ethics of responsibility that arises from the recognition of human co-participation in the continuous reconfiguration of the world. This synthesis opens new perspectives for contemporary thought in the field of new materialisms and beyond.
Philosophical thought. 2025;(9):24-47
24-47
Pre-individual origins of semiosis: Gilbert Simondon on the sign as a transductive operator
Abstract
In contemporary semiotics and philosophy of consciousness, representative (Peirce, Saussure) and structural-systemic (Luhmann) models of the sign dominate, failing to explain its genesis from pre-logical, affective-bodily, and materially-technical processes. The growing interest in non-representational, processual, and enactive approaches in cognitive science, media theory, and biosemiotics necessitates a reconsideration of the ontology of the sign. The philosophy of Gilbert Simondon, which remains underappreciated in semiotic studies, offers a radical alternative by situating the origin of semiosis in the pre-individual field—a metastable area of tensions and potentials that precede subject-object relationships. The key subject of analysis is the sign as an "operator of transduction," crystallizing in the act of individuation to resolve metastability and transfer energy between heterogeneous orders of reality. This approach opens up prospects for analyzing sign processes in contemporary material-technical environments (digital platforms, neurointerfaces, biotechnologies), where semiosis functions as a mechanism of continuous transduction between affect, collective imagination, and technological systems. The research methodology is based on the sequential application of the following complementary methods, appropriate to Simondon's processual ontology: genetic reconstruction of the concept, conceptual analysis, transdisciplinary synthesis, and the principle of genetic methodology. This complex of methods aims to trace the immanent logic of the formation of the Simondonian concept of the sign, avoiding its reification and maintaining a focus on its operational nature as a tool for understanding dynamic processes. This approach allows not only for the reconstruction of the original theory but also for the explication of its heuristic potential in developing a non-reductionist semiotics in relevant philosophical and interdisciplinary contexts. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the deconstruction of the representative paradigm: the sign is interpreted not as a carrier of meaning but as an event of transformation, fulfilling the function of practically resolving tensions. For the first time in semiotics, the connection of the sign with the metaphysically primary, pre-individual level is ontologized, and technical objects are interpreted as active co-agents of semiotic transduction. This approach paves the way for a non-reductionist semiotics of life, significant for philosophy, cognitive science (as an alternative to computational models), and media theory (analyzing digital technologies as environments of continuous individuation). Meaning (signification), according to Simondon, arises at the intersection of affect, gesture, collective, and machine. This allows for the study of semiosis not as a static representation but as a dynamic ecology of becoming.
Philosophical thought. 2025;(9):48-71
48-71
Deism: Rethinking the Term
Abstract
The author of this article presents modern approaches to the study of deism. It is shown that these are closely connected to the rethinking and search for methods of studying the period in the history of ideas known as the "Age of Enlightenment". The sources include the works of Jonathan Israel, Jeffrey Wigelsworth, Wayne Hudson, Diego Lucci, and Sarah Barnett. In the second part of the article the author describes the history of the formation of the terms deism and deist in Russian studies based on pre-revolutionary Russian dictionaries, encyclopedias, and monographs. The purpose of the article is to problematize the terms deism and deist. A number of modern (late 20th – early 21st centuries) works are analyzed in this article, the authors of which propose to question the established meanings of these terms. Also, the author follows the history of the formation of these terms in Russian studies. The article discovers interesting parallels between modern methodological guidelines and Russian pre-revolutionary approaches to the study of deism in the academic environment. The author of the article uses the works of those modern authors who have been consistently studying deism for a long time. The article raises the question of the heuristic value of the ideas of Russian pre-revolutionary researchers for the modern studies of deism. It points out an omission in Russian studies when it comes to discourse about deism, namely, ignoring those approaches of researchers in pre-revolutionary Russia where they were looking for historical sources of deistic thought beyond the philosophy of the Enlightenment and beyond the established definitions. The results of the work can be applied in educational and methodological courses on the topic of the philosophy of religion of the Enlightenment and the history of Russian researches in religious studies. The article provides an argument in favor of the relevance of the views of A.A. Kozlov and V.D. Kudryavtsev-Platonov on deistic philosophy. The author of the article believes that their conclusions are similar to the conclusions of modern foreign English-speaking researchers.
Philosophical thought. 2025;(9):72-91
72-91
The Problem of the God-Man in Medieval Eastern Philosophy
Abstract
The subject of the study in this article is the problem of the God-Man in Medieval Eastern philosophy. The author addresses the history of the formation of this concept, as well as the specific models of incarnation presented by theologians such as Athanasius the Great, Maximus the Confessor, and Gregory the Theologian. Special attention is given to the model of incarnation proposed by Athanasius the Great. His concept of the enpersonment represented a unique combination of epistemological and anthropological approaches, emphasizing not only the divine nature of Christ but also his function as a means of restoring the lost knowledge of God by man. The concepts of Maximus the Confessor and Gregory the Theologian, which developed the ideas of Athanasius the Great, pushed the apophatic content of the process of deification to its maximum, infusing the process of incarnation with mystical meaning, which found further development in the hesychasm of Gregory Palamas. The methodology of this research is based on a comprehensive theological and philosophical analysis of the texts of theologians of the Eastern Christian tradition of Medieval philosophy, as well as on the interpretation of their teachings. The author of the study concludes that the theological content of the Athanasian concept, as well as other models of incarnation (Maximus the Confessor, Gregory the Theologian), is closely related to the Christian idea of salvation as the victory of life over death, as well as the role of the historical event of Christ’s coming in the context of the spiritual renewal of man. The incarnation appears not only as a manifestation of divine love but also as an epistemological act, revealing the path for man to participate in divine life through knowledge and union with God. Unlike Western traditions, the Eastern emphasis is on the victory of life over death through spiritual knowledge. The historical coming of Christ serves as a key event that opens for man the possibility of returning to the original state of knowledge about God and achieving the state of the God-Man. Analyzing these aspects allows for a fuller understanding of the specificity of Eastern Christian teaching on the God-Man and its significance in the history of medieval philosophy.
Philosophical thought. 2025;(9):92-105
92-105
Jacques Derrida's "Cliche" and its philosophical and ethical implications in photography
Abstract
The article discusses the analysis of photography in Jacques Derrida's work, "Demeure, Athens", which was inspired by a series of 34 photographs taken by Jean-François Bonhomme in Athens. Derrida's 20 chapters on clichés resonate with the photographs, demonstrating how photography goes beyond the mere technique of representation and becomes a key to understanding fundamental philosophical concepts. Derrida emphasizes both the essential aspects and the most delicate and elusive aspects of photography. At the same time, his photographic studies focus on the phrase "We owe ourselves to death", which is repeated as a refrain and largely determines the structure of his text (in anticipation of Socrates' postponed death sentence) and sets the range of topics he addresses (death, memory, duty, time, delay, etc.). The article is based on an analysis of a number of texts by Jacques Derrida, comparing them with Plato's dialogues "Phaedo" and "Crito", well as on the phenomenological approach to photography. Intertextual and comparative methods are used. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the systematization of the deconstructivist approach to photography and the identification of the special ethics of the attitude towards the photographic image formed by it. Exploring Derrida's key ideas related to the problem of photography, the article forms new horizons for understanding the philosophical and ethical foundations of modern visual media. The author shows the significant contribution of Jacques Derrida's philosophy to the understanding of the phenomenology of photography, emphasizing the complex interrelationships between image, memory and identity. Ultimately, the phenomenology of photography, as understood by the philosopher, becomes not so much a tool for studying art as a way of understanding human experience in its versatility and complexity. Derrida draws a bold and paradoxical conclusion: philosophy itself owes something to photography in its essence or origin.
Philosophical thought. 2025;(9):106-120
106-120