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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.