Tibor Solymosi, Ph.D.
Department of Philosophy
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
My research focuses on the consequences of the sciences and technologies of life and mind for our self-conception as conscious, free, and morally responsible selves. The keystone for this project has been neurophilosophical pragmatism, or neuropragmatism. It operates at the nexus of the philosophies of mind, of science, of technology, of culture, and ethics. I am currently concerned with the relationship between these overlapping issues and democratic culture — both as an ideal and in the efforts to realize such an ideal. I have been invested in exploring the effects of social media and digital devices on democratic life through a cultural neuroscientific lens. With neuropragmatism, this lens has led me to further investigations regarding artificial intelligence and the promises and perils of a cybernetic culture.
My current publications can be found at either of the links below.
I am co-editor with John R. Shook of two anthologies on neuropragmatism both published in 2014:
Pragmatist Neurophilosophy: American Philosophy and the Brain
Neuroscience, Neurophilosophy and Pragmatism: Brains at Work with the World
There are two related threads to my research. The first is expanding neuropragmatism to address recent work in data and technology ethics, especially regarding artificial intelligence. This expansion is both theoretical (dealing with questions such as the nature of intelligence) and normative (addressing the ethical and sociopolitical concerns over incorporating AI into more of our everyday lives).
The second thread of my research goes beyond the focus on the neural toward larger ethical matters, such as healthcare and lifestyle. I'm interested in how the practice and business of medicine and healthcare can improve in light of recent advances in understanding human bicultural evolution and, subsequently, the potential of AI and cybernetics (broadly construed) for bringing about more just and democratic healthcare.
Finally, I have been sketching a larger work, The Third Enlightenment, that synthesizes these issues with topics on which I have previously published as well as futurism (transhumanism, post-humanism) and democracy. This synthesis critically addresses Hilary Putnam’s assessment that we are currently living in the pragmatist enlightenment. I explore the possibilities for a hopeful future in which the sciences and the humanities are able to reach an ameliorative rapprochement in creative democracy.