XVI INTERNATIONAL ONTOLOGY CONGRESS
Conceptions of Nature from Ionian Thought to Contemporary Science
With the Honorary Presidency of Professor Artur Ekert
SAN SEBASTIÁN (7-10 October 2025) - SAINT JEAN DE LUZ (11 October 2025)
SAN SEBASTIÁN, Chillida-Leku Museum and UPV/EHU - SAINT JEAN DE LUZ, Salon d’actes de la Mairie
Special Session in A Coruña (TBA October 2025)
A CORUÑA, Fundación Paideia-Galiza
CONTRIBUTED PAPERS MUST BE PRESENTED IN SAN SEBASTIÁN
LAS COMUNICACIONES SE PRESENTARÁN EN SAN SEBASTIÁN
Conceptions of Nature from Ionian Thought to Contemporary Science
The philosophical reflection on Nature, once known as Natural Philosophy, cannot be conducted "without the support of the natural science of our times," as Heisenberg noted. The theoretical aim of the International Ontology Congress has always been to revisit the ancient questions of Greek Ontology concerning Physis and confront them with contemporary discoveries. In this upcoming edition of the Congress, we will explore how these ancient concepts resonate and evolve when examined through the lens of modern scientific advances and philosophical debates.
This exploration will be structured around several key themes, each of which delves into different facets of the intersection between classical ideas and contemporary issues, as outlined in the following 5 sections:- From Schrödinger's Vision to the Second Quantum Revolution: The Philosophical Significance and Technological Impact of Entanglement
In the first twenty-five years of the 20th century, experimental facts revealed that the classical view of nature was too limited, especially in the microscopic realm. In 1935, Schrödinger described entanglement as not merely one, but the characteristic trait of quantum mechanics. Initially, this concept was rejected as a physically and philosophically unacceptable feature of Physis. However, experimental evidence has since shown that the classical picture of nature was indeed limited. Today, entanglement is at the heart of the Second Quantum Revolution, routinely utilized in technologies such as quantum computation, cryptography, and communication. In this Congress, we will explore the significance of entanglement for our understanding of Physis and assess the impact of technologies that utilize entangled systems.
- Greek Thought and Classical Polarities Concerning Physis
This section will provide a historical-philological reflection, starting with the differences between the meaning of the word Physis in ancient Greek texts and its interpretation in the fragments of Ionian Physikoi. We will examine how the Ionian conception of Physis was reinterpreted and archived by Aristotle, leading to essential polarities: natural versus ideal; natural versus inert; natural versus artificial. Additionally, we will address determinism-related polarities, especially as exemplified in the philosophy of Epicurus.
- Debates on Artificial Life and Artificial Intelligence
In relation to the polarities of Natural (in the sense of being endowed with an internal principle of transformation) versus Inert and Natural versus Artificial, we will discuss the implications of modern technologies. These include constructed systems that represent a transition from non-living to living matter, using external energy to overcome decay and disorder. This debate will complement the ongoing discussions about artificial intelligence, focusing on whether the remarkable achievements of certain algorithms imply semantic functioning.
- Techné as Art and Nature
This section will explore the Greek Physis/Techné polarity, particularly when Techné is conceived as art. An example is the idea of the naturalization of music, implicitly present in many canonical texts of musicology but resisted by many of history's great composers. This issue also underlies the great moments of literature. Thus, in Homer, the mutation that nature undergoes, transforming not just into men, but into gods. And in a very different atmosphere, not far from the Romantic perspective, the very project of Henry David Thoreau to consider his own work as the result of a sort of fusion with nature. This nostalgia finds multiple expressions in the world of painting, though the same world also contains the counterpoint: a pictorial art liberated from representation, in which only the demands exclusively derived from the singularity of the human spirit would matter.
- The Evolutionary Conception of Nature
Darwin’s theory of evolution, proposing a naturalistic explanation for the diversity and evolution of species, challenged traditional conceptions of a static and predictable universe, as established by Newton's deterministic laws. This paradigm shift led to a more dynamic and evolutionary understanding of nature, laying the groundwork for a complex and contextualized approach to biological and physical phenomena. Moreover, it encouraged a reevaluation of humanity's place within the natural world, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all living organisms. This new perspective not only influenced scientific thought but also resonated deeply in philosophical and cultural domains, prompting a broader reconsideration of the relationship between nature, society, and the human experience.
Each of the five sections of this Congress offers a unique perspective on the evolving concept of Physis and its implications in the modern world. The exploration of quantum entanglement challenges classical notions of a separable, independent nature, aligning with the broader question of how Physis is now understood in a fundamentally interconnected world. The historical examination of Greek thought and its classical polarities sheds light on how ancient distinctions like natural versus artificial continue to resonate in contemporary debates, particularly in the realms of artificial life and intelligence. Similarly, the discussion on Techné as both art and nature reflects the ongoing tension between human creativity and natural processes, a tension that underscores the blurred boundaries between the two. Finally, the evolutionary conception of nature encapsulates the dynamic and ever-changing understanding of Physis, a theme that is central to the general issue of how nature is perceived in relation to human activity and technological advancement.
THE ISSUE IN GENERAL TERMS
The notion of "nature" has been a central theme in philosophy, science, and culture for centuries. Traditionally, it has been conceived as everything untouched or unaltered by human hands. This conception of nature is deeply rooted in the ancient Greek idea of Physis (φύσις). Physis refers not only to nature in its material sense but also to the intrinsic essence of things—their spontaneous process of emergence and growth. This domain of Physis contrasts with the artificial world of Techné—the techniques and technologies used by humans to modify and control the world, and in the case of art, to serve as a reflection of their inner representation and eventual transcendence.
This dichotomy between the natural and the artificial has been a constant theme in the history of thought originating from Ionia. At times, especially in our era, nature has been viewed as a refuge of purity and authenticity, disturbed by human intervention, that is, by Techné. However, for more than a century, scientific reflection and its philosophical implications have made it difficult to maintain the radical opposition between Physis and Techné. On one hand, we discuss artificial intelligence; on the other, we encounter technological products that represent a transition between non-living and living matter.
Quantum mechanics, for instance, poses a significant challenge to the classical perception of nature by questioning some of the ontological principles that underpinned it. Quantum entanglement, which Einstein called "spooky action at a distance," reveals a deeply interconnected nature where the boundaries between the individual and the holistic, the local and the global, become porous.
Contemporary disciplines offer different hermeneutics that suggest various conceptions of Physis. In some, nature is understood not as a collection of objects but as a continuous process in which natural, human, and technological forces are intrinsically linked, dissolving the separation between the natural and the artificial into a web of interrelations where humanity is part of a larger whole. In others, precisely because of the blurred boundary between Physis and Techné, the idea of being as language as the measure of things is radically revived. In any case, contemporary Physis—if it can be described as such—is no longer a domain separate from human activity but a field of dynamic interactions where the technosphere and biosphere co-evolve.
