No 9 (2025)
Articles
Constructing the Image of the Sahel as the “Other” in American and African Media Discourse: A Postcolonial Analysis
Abstract
Africa, long portrayed in Western narratives as a periphery of world history, has increasingly become a focus of international attention in recent decades. The Sahel region has gained particular significance, experiencing several military coups between 2020 and 2023 that brought anti-Western military governments to power. This article analyzes the representation of the Sahel region in the discourse of leading American and Sahelian media outlets. Mass media shape key images and stereotypes in public consciousness and are considered not as passive transmitters of information but as active actors participating in the construction of social reality. The study aims to identify and analyze the construction of the Sahel's image as the "Other" within the postcolonial theoretical paradigm. The research employs a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods—content analysis and discourse analysis. The theoretical framework draws on the concepts of E. Said, V.-Y. Mudimbe, and G. C. Spivak. The scholarly novelty of the work lies in its attempt to systematically apply the tools of postcolonial studies to the analysis of contemporary media discourse about the Sahel. The study identifies key narrative strategies in the construction of the Sahel's image: in the media, contemporary Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are portrayed as "states without democracy," depicted as passive objects of struggle among external forces, suffering from terrorism, migration, and instability. The findings indicate that the discourse of leading American publications about the Sahel region continues to reproduce persistent patterns of colonial thinking, as reconstructed within the postcolonial theoretical paradigm. The American press not only reports events but also participates in the symbolic "invention" of the Sahel, reinforcing the region's image in the public consciousness. Simultaneously, Sahelian media form a counter-discourse that actively challenges the Western monopoly on the production of truth. Through anti-colonial rhetoric, they construct the region's agency, offering alternative systems of legitimacy and identity. The results of this study can be applied in the fields of critical postcolonial theory, media studies, and international relations.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):1-14
1-14
Between the Visible and the Audible: Two Faces of Collective Memory
Abstract
The study is dedicated to the philosophical analysis of the characteristics of the visual and auditory order in the formation of collective memory and aims to critically examine the features of the visual image that have allowed it to occupy a dominant position in reflecting reality throughout the long development of European philosophy. The author evaluates such properties of the visual image as permanence and stability of embodiment, convenience of dissemination, potential for concise expression of meaning, strength of testimony, and specificity. Throughout the research, the inadequacy and contradictions of the aforementioned characteristics of visuality are systematically revealed, and the significance of integrating auditory experience as an independent methodological perspective is demonstrated. The object of the study is the space of collective memory research, where ocular-centric tendencies dominate. The subject of the research is a complex of characteristics inherent to the modalities of constructing and representing collective memory, interpreted as their advantages and disadvantages. The methodological framework of the study includes comparative analysis and critical reflection based on the works of leading theorists in the field of memory studies. Comparative analysis as the key method allows for the comparison of two modalities of collective memory formation and the identification of their advantages and disadvantages. The scientific novelty of the research consists of solving several fundamentally important tasks. Firstly, based on the explication of the main characteristics of the visual order of collective memory, it is proven that the dominant ocular-centric approach in European philosophical tradition has significant limitations and creates the problem of reducing memory to a passive, static archive of iconic symbols that offer a unified, canonized view of the past. Secondly, the necessity of including the auditory channel of memory transmission as an alternative source of commemorative meaning, possessing powerful cultural potential and unique advantages compared to the visual form of knowledge constitution, is substantiated. In particular, sound is attributed fundamental characteristics such as processuality, corporeality, immediacy, and elusiveness, the ability to capture and convey the unspeakable, contextuality, and inclusiveness. The author concludes that despite the principle diversity of characteristics, the world of visual images and the world of sounds do not oppose each other, but rather complement one another, and should equally and integratively participate in forming a multifaceted, complex image of the past that includes various shades of meaning.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):15-32
15-32
About the Tunguska harp from the materials of M.N. Zhirkov based on archival data and drawings by P.V. Sleptsov, E.M. Shaposhnikov, E.P. Shestakov
Abstract
The article is devoted to the Tunguska harp from M.N. Zhirkov's study "Yakut folk music", information about which the composer learned from Khatango-Anabar materials collected by the ethnographer P.V. Sleptsov in the 1920s. The author examines the described harp, taking into account the peculiarities of the ethnogenetic processes of formation of the Dolgan ethnic group, which actively took place in the first half of the twentieth century, which included, among other things, the Evenk clans that roamed in the north of Yakutia. The subject of the study is a sample of a harp, a traditional musical instrument described in the literature as the "Tunguska harp". The object of the study is the traditional musical instruments of the Tungusovs, Dolgans, and Yakuts using the example of materials studied by P.V. Sleptsov, M.N. Zhirkov, and sketched by E.M. Shaposhnikov and E.P. Shestakov. Since the sources were the collections of these researchers, the collection of Yakut khomuses of the Museum and the Khomus Center of the Peoples of the World (Yakutsk) used methods of observation, comparison and typology. The main conclusions of the conducted research are the following conclusions: - M.N. Zhirkov, in his study "Yakut Folk Music", identified the instrument in P.V. Sleptsov's drawing as the Tunguska harp, since dulgan is the self–name of the Evenki (Tunguska) clan that lived on the territory of Khatanga and Anabar and subsequently participated in the formation of dolgan as a separate northern in the first third of the twentieth century. ethnic group; - the characteristic decor and manufacturing technique of this sample serve the purpose of improving its design with decorative elements and primarily carried aesthetic functions; - information about the Dulgan bargan from the collection of P.V. Sleptsov, the Tunguska harp from the materials of M.N. Zhirkov is of great interest, as they have undoubted similarities with some types of Yakut metal arc clamps of the second half of the twentieth and the first quarter of the twenty-first centuries; - the Yakut hose manufacturers of the second half of the twentieth century are guided by the images given in the work of M.N. Zhirkov "Yakut folk Music" as reference and produce modern Yakut hose with a similar design, without the use of copper trim, but with sound production sufficient not only for chamber music, but also for concert performance.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):33-46
33-46
Digital humanism: between apologia and criticism of a philosophical concept
Abstract
The article provides an analytical review of the philosophical concept of digital humanism. The relevance of the study is substantiated by the rapid digital transformation of all spheres of human existence, which leads to systemic changes in the relationship between man and technology. The object of the study is the concept of digital humanism as a new ethics for the digital age. The subject of the study is the approaches and principles of digital humanism in the works of modern philosophers. Particular attention is paid to ethical issues related to the development of artificial intelligence. The author analyzes the concept of digital humanism, its origins, philosophical foundations and development prospects. The extroverted and introverted approaches to digital humanism, theoretical and practical consequences of using its principles are considered. Along with the works of scientists who are the main apologists of these ideas, a critical look at the concept is also considered. The dialectical method, ideas and principles of the systems approach were used for the study. Specific scientific and philosophical studies conducted by philosophy, epistemology, methodology of science and technology, social sciences were taken as a basis for obtaining conclusions and generalizations. The novelty of the study lies in substantiating the idea of digital humanism as a theoretical foundation for building safe AI models and a powerful intellectual force for socio-technological changes. It is noted that this concept requires extensive discussion and addition. Nevertheless, the author believes that the principles of digital humanism can be considered as promising and significant for philosophical discourse. The main conclusion of the study is that in order to implement the concept of digital humanism in practice, it is necessary to use a more critical post-humanistic approach that will consider the relationship between man and technology, both from the point of view of the systemic humanization of technologies and from the point of view of how digital technologies change a person and transform his values.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):47-60
47-60
To the Headsprings of Greater India: Comprehension of Ethno-Cultural Substratum of the Civilization by the Bengal Renaissance Thinkers
Abstract
Reflection on the headsprings of Indian civilization was an essential component in the process of self-cognition that developed in intellectual life of national-cultural renaissance of British India in XIX – early XX centuries. The Bengal Renaissance intellectuals were the first who began to ‘gather India’, namely to substantiate her cultural, civilizational and socio-historical entity despite a diversity of peoples, regional cultures and social orders. Thinking about an internal unity of India, Bengal thinkers searched for to answer the question on ethno-cultural substratum of the ancient civilization, and about the unity of the North and the South of India. The theme of article is depicted neither in Russian, nor in foreign Indian studies. Based on original sources, the reconstruction of the comprehension process of the theme in the intellectual history of the epoch. Based on hermeneutic analysis of the texts with the interpretations of ethno-cultural substratum in Indian civilization by Rajendralal Mitra, Romesh Chunder Dutt, Swami Vivekananda, and Jadunath Sarkar, the authors reconstructs the evolution of comprehension the country’s inner unity. For the first time in Russian philosophical Indology, the process of unity comprehension is described in its substratum as ‘Aryan’ by Rammohun Roy, the interpretations were continued by the discovery of autochthonous Dravidian (Tamil) component as an important and indefeasible the Own–Other. Criticizing religious-nationalist idea of Arian ancient age, Rabindranath Tagore offered the idea of Greater India (Māhabhāratvarṣa), and the each people participate to create her. The understanding of Indian civilization substratum as the result of Aryan and autochthonous interaction permitted to correlate the North and the South of India, to substantiate to point out their unification into a civilizational integrity as historically established and real, to substantiate its real unity, and to create the idea of a solid foundation for cultural, spiritual and social unity of India from Ancient to Modern age, to which it is possible to appeal as having proven its viability.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):61-74
61-74
Enhancing human capabilities: delegating functions to cognitive systems and/or the path of transhumanism?
Abstract
The technological development of humanity has currently created the conditions for a transition to a civilization of cognitive technologies, within which a key need will be artificial cognitive systems for intelligent management of machines that produce goods. Cognitive systems will be integrated into all areas of information technology: the economy, society, and the intellectual sphere. An important factor in the development and expansion of the role of artificial cognitive systems is the expansion of their functionality through a toolset of multi-system integration of knowledge, which will allow them to reach the level of general (creative) artificial intelligence that possesses reasoning and is capable of solving creative tasks. In this regard, the issue of preserving humanity's leading role in civilization becomes pertinent. This will require humans to enhance their intellectual and communication capabilities. The research presented in the article is based on the following ideas: the development of civilization, the next stage of which is the civilization of cognitive technologies; the possibility of developing artificial intelligence to a level sufficient to attain reasoning; the delegation of functions by humans to artificial cognitive systems; and the inevitable competition between humans and machines, regardless of whether the latter possess subjectivity. The prospects for expanding the intellectual and communication capabilities of humans have two main scenarios for implementation. The first scenario is related to the further development of the trend of humans delegating their functions: initially to relatively simple digital systems and then to artificial cognitive systems, including artificial intelligence systems. The second scenario involves the enhancement of the human being itself in line with transhumanist concepts. Both scenarios are associated with significant risks that must be considered and mitigated through imposed restrictions. At the same time, the implementation of the second scenario appears inevitable due to the predictable choices of people seeking to expand their capabilities and abilities, as well as humanity's need to maintain control over the development of civilization, which can only be achieved through the enhancement of the human being.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):75-87
75-87
The collective crisis of humanity as a path to genuine "superintellect": why the affective reality of humans cannot be reduced to algorithmic and neuromorphic processes
Abstract
In the era of rapid development of artificial neural networks, the philosophy of J. Simondon offers a radically new perspective on the nature of "superintelligence" (ASI). Unlike popular technocratic concepts such as R. Kurzweil's "singularity," F. Heylighen's "global brain," I.J. Good's "intelligence explosion," or D. Chalmers' "computational functionalism," which reduce "superintelligence" to computational power and algorithmic complexity, Simondon reveals it as an emergent and dynamic result of the mental and collective phases of individuation, namely as a process that always requires affective tension, existential crises, and transformation of the entire "human-machine" ecology. This article is relevant as a response to the deadlock of modern artificial neural networks, which, despite impressive results in recursive self-improvement, remain "operators of metastuctures," devoid of consciousness and creative depth, confined to the framework of the "dynamic scheme" of the technical phase of individuation. The methodological approach of the research is based on the sequential application of four complementary methods: phenomenological analysis, hermeneutic analysis, synergistic approach, and biosocial-semiotic analysis. The proposed methodology allows for a comprehensive approach to this complex process: from individual experience (phenomenology) through understanding and communication (hermeneutics) to the dynamics of systemic transitions (synergetics), with constant consideration of the biosocial and semiotic rootedness of humanity (biosocial-semiotic analysis). The novelty of Simondon's approach lies in the radical rethinking of the path to "superintelligence": not through algorithmic breakthroughs, but through the existential overcoming of the civilizational crisis, where technology becomes not a replacement for humanity, but a new "organ" of its collective intelligence. Analyzing the fundamental limitations of artificial neural networks and promising developments (from AGI to neuromorphic artificial chips), the article argues that true "superintelligence" is only possible as a metamorphosis of the human based on affective depth, rather than as its algorithmic simulation. Contrary to technocratic utopias, Simondon interprets "superintelligence" not as an engineering product, but as an emergent outcome of a global evolutionary turning point – ecological, meaningful, and technological, where humanity, transforming disunity into solidarity, makes a leap into a new transindividual (technosocial) phase of individuation. The main conclusion of the article: without spontaneous affectivity and crisis as the "fuel" of transformation, even the most advanced artificial neural networks will remain "blind" operators of "metastructures."
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):88-111
88-111
Pixel Storm and algorithmic aesthetics as visual Pollution in the Digital Age
Abstract
In the modern world, where artificial intelligence is becoming not just a tool, but an active agent of cultural production, the visual environment is undergoing radical changes. This work offers a philosophical understanding of the phenomenon of algorithmic aesthetics as a new stage in the evolution of visual culture, in which traditional ideas about image, authorship and meaning undergo a profound transformation. Generative neural networks and machine learning algorithms not only automate the creation of images, but also redefine the very anthropology of perception. Visual experience ceases to be the result of an intentional act of the subject, giving way to machine processes of statistical pattern redistribution. Under these conditions, aesthetic interaction shifts from contemplation and interpretation to the reactive consumption of visual stimuli, where the subject's attention is directed not so much by an internal impulse as by algorithmic mechanisms. The authors introduce the concept of algorithmic aesthetics as a paradigm in which the classical triad "image, author, meaning" is destroyed. Aesthetic validity is now formed not in the space of human communication, but in the infrastructure of algorithmic distribution, where images are devoid of stable ontology, and the subject's gaze turns into a function of directed attention. This gives rise to a phenomenology of virtual perception, where traditional categories of sensory experience lose their stability. Special attention is paid to the problems of loss of authorial subjectivity, aesthetic homogenization and visual entropy as symptoms of a deep cultural transformation that threatens aesthetic diversity and reflective perception. The article substantiates the need for humanitarian expertise and the development of a philosophy of digital visuality capable of diagnosing the risks of aesthetic degeneration and suggests turning to digital hygiene and the ecology of perception as a solution. In conclusion, the question is raised: is it possible to preserve the space of human creativity and reflexive gaze in an environment where reality is increasingly being simulated by algorithms? The answer to this challenge will determine the future not only of visual culture, but also of human subjectivity itself in the digital age.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):112-125
112-125
Methodological potential of explanatory models of the world-system approach in human research (on the example of Christopher Chitty's concept of sexual hegemony)
Abstract
The subject of this study is the process of developing theoretical tools of the world-systems approach in the field of human studies, using K. Chitty's concept of sexual hegemony as an example. The basic problematics of the world-system approach is in the field of macro-processes. The micro-level of societal reality is often inaccessible to the world-system optics. However, relying on the ontology of macro-processes inherent in the world-system approach, the followers of this paradigm complete theoretical constructions by synthesis with intermediate models of other concepts, improving the world-system optics according to the subject under study. In the work of C. Chitty there is such a refinement of theory. Moreover, the emphasis on the economic sphere, intrinsic to the world-system approach as a branch of Marxism, precludes the attainment of an ontology of the human being, since contemporary research is compelled to shift the focus to the household. In his study of human ontology, К. Citty draws on another crucial set of world-system ideas, encapsulated in the concept of the «hegemony of geoculture». К. Citty analyzes the socio-economic sources of Western queer culture and the reasons for its politicization in the core of the world-system on the basis of a synthesis of the concept of cycles of development of the world system by G. Arrighi, the idea of class hegemony by A. Gramsci and the ideas of culture and the nature of human sexuality in the psychoanalysis of Z. Freud. Citty's research focuses on the mechanisms of state and social control of queer cultural representatives in European history since the XV century. He explains the processes of politicization of sexuality in the central, time-shifting nodal points of the world system (the Mediterranean, Holland, England, and the United States) during its crises. The conclusions emphasize that the innovation of C. Chitty's methodology lies in the fact that he creates a theoretical construct that allows us to see human sexuality in the totality of factors of different levels of societal reality. The theoretical constructs proposed by K. Chitty can be useful. Citty's theoretical constructs can be useful for understanding the clash between political power and representatives of queer culture in the context of destructive world-system processes that are gaining momentum.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(9):126-139
126-139