The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence from the Perspective of Pragmatic Empiricism and Scientific Humanism

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor of Political Science, Department, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

has expanded human capabilities in medicine, education, governance, and communication, dominant philosophical views remain pessimistic and anti-technological. Phenomenological, critical, and postmodern thinkers—such as Heidegger, Foucault, Habermas, Castells, Agamben, and Harari—portray AI as a source of alienation, surveillance, inequality, and civilizational decline, creating a climate of technological anxiety. This article challenges these views using a science-realist and empiricist framework grounded in Bacon, Hume, Mill, Dewey, and Russell. Through a qualitative philosophical-analytical method, it contrasts pessimistic critiques with the empirical achievements of contemporary science and technology. The study argues that AI is not primarily a mechanism of domination or risk, but an extension of human cognitive capacity, experimental rationality, and institutional adaptation. It contributes to global scientific cooperation, women's empowerment, transnational citizenship, biomedical innovation, democratic participation, and human development. The article concludes that the twenty-first century represents not the decline of humanity, but the expansion of human agency through science, technology, and evidence-based global governance.

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References

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 20, Issue 56 - Serial Number 56
Articles
Issue 56, Autumn 2026
October 2026
Pages 259-278

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