ACADEMY OF ROMANIAN SCIENTISTS

Annals of the Academy of Romanian Scientists

Series on Philosophy, Psychology and Theology

ISSN 2067 – 5690

Volume

13

, Number

1–2

/

2025

65

ASPIRATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: THE QUESTION OF

TECHNOLOGICALLY INDUCED NIHILISM

Henrieta ȘERBAN



Motto:

Connect everything, mean nothing. Embrace the glitch.

From the “wisdom” of the internet

Abstract

. The theme of technologically induced nihilism (“techno-nihilism”) approaches

the

consequences

of

human

life

with

modern

and

contemporary

technology,

interpreting

technology as something else than a neutral instrument for man: as a re-forming agent for

mankind and its world. Aspirational philosophy highlights the educational, value, moral and

ethical horizon necessary to consciously embrace life full of meaning, responsibility and

value.

More

specifically,

current

technology

creates

a

value-less,

purpose-less

and

meaningless world. A world where the lazy and dependent human being becomes a numb

“button pusher”. This is theorized mainly by Nolen Gertz using Nietzsche and Heidegger as

philosophical

sources,

to

which

the

author

adds

a

concise

discussion

about

the

topical

contribution

to

the

opposition

to

the

“tragic

forgetfulness

of

being”

of

the

Romanian

philosopher Lucian Blaga, through his ideas on the singularity of man. Then, the article

approaches the double facet “Digital Enlightenment” - “New Algorithmic Dark Age” of our

contemporary reality, leading to conclusive ethical concerns about the contemporary world

dominated by data, which man created, but where is not much need left for man’s action,

initiative and output. Ever more, “smart” algorithmic tools are present more than human to

human interaction to structure and control our lives, offering the options, the choices and

the

solutions

required.

As

technology

becomes

the

daily

“saviour”

and

friend,

human

autonomy is under threat in new and unexpected ways. It is mainly about (the perpetual

problem

with)

education,

about

cultivating

the

joy

of

reasoning

and

discouraging

the

attitude of “helplessness”’ of the users of algorithmic tools.

Keywords

:

techno-nihilism,

Nolen

Gertz,

Friedrich

Nietzsche,

Martin

Heidegger,

“New

Algorithmic Dark Age”.

DOI

10.56082/annalsarsciphil.2025.1.65

„Asprirational

philosophy”

and

the

theme

of

technologically

induced

nihilism – a brief overview

„Asprirational philosophy”

1

is a syntagm proposed for the first time by the

Romanian

philosopher

Gheorghe

Dănișor

triggered

by

an

analysis

of

the



Senior

Researcher,

PhD

Hab.,

“Ion.

I.C.

Brătianu”

Institute

of

Political

Sciences

and

International Relations and “Constantin Rădulescu-Motru” Institute of Philosophy and Psychology

of

the

Romanian

Academy;

correspondent

member

of

Academy

of

Romanian

Scientists;

full

member of the Romanian Committee for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology;

email: henrietaserban@gmail.com.

66

Henrieta

Șerban

„aspirational” – a novel philosophical concept – predicated on the integration of

the Aristotelian

concept

of

justice,

with

a

distinct

dimension

of

love,

with

the

concept of „care”, in a relational and phenomenological perspective leading to an

all-encompassing vision of the world as relational: man to man, man to nature and

man to God.

The theme of technologically induced nihilism is set in this perspective of

the dangerous diminishment of the “aspirational” by diminishment of relational

quality, of care and of justice.

The

theme

of

technologically

induced

nihilism

or

“techno-nihilism”,

approaches

the

consequences

of

human

life

with

of

modern

and

contemporary

technology, interpreting technology

as something else than a neutral

instrument

for man, but as a re-forming agent for mankind and its world. More specifically

current

technology

creates

a

value-less,

purpose-less

and

meaningless

world. A

world

where

the

lazy

and

dependent

human

being

becomes

a

numb

“button

pusher”. This is “techno-nihilism”.

2

The

topical

specialist

in

the

theme

of

technologically

induced

nihilism

is Nolen

Gertz,

who

capitalizes

upon

the

philosophy

of Friedrich

Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger to contemporary technology.

The theory dances around the idea of mankind’s addiction to technology,

but

this

is

very

much

the

case.

Paradoxically,

as

Gertz

argues

technology

facilitates an escape from the “meaninglessness” of life, leading to a promotion of

a passive attitude and a settled, “numbing” acceptance of the contemporary world

dominated by data, which man created, but where is not much need for human

being’s action, initiative and output since the use of technology keeps her well and

content.

Nolen

Gertz

3

proposed

the

concept

of

“techno-nihilism”

within

a

discussion about modern technologies which “appear to function not by helping

us to achieve our ends but instead by determining ends for us”.

Starting

from

his

theoretically

capitalized

concern

with

the

current

phenomenon described by “techno-optimism”, which results in an over-simplified

view of life that ends in the cancelation of human life envisioned and embraced as

a rich and many-facet adventure that should bring us joy, challenge, enthusiasm

and opportunities of growth. The “support” provided technologically although it

seems salutary it reduces the complexity of life in a manner that transforms life

1

Gheorghe

Dănișor,

Justice.

Filosofie

aspirațională

,

Bucharest,

Pro

Universitaria,

2024;

Gheorghe

Dănișor,

Justice.

Philosophie

aspirationnelle

,

French

edition,

translation

by

Diana

Dănișor, Paris, L’Harmattan, 2024.

2

The

article

is

part

of

the

Project

Contemporary

Democracy

under

the

Assault

of

Technology

which I am coordinating at “Ion I. C. Brătianu” Institute of Political Sciences and International

Relations of the Romanian Academy (2026-2027).

3

Nolen Gertz,

Nihilism and Technology

, London, Rowman & Littlefield, 2018, p. 3.

Aspirational Philosophy: The Question of Technologically Induced Nihilism

67

entirely by diminishing its possibilities and meaning as journey of self-discovery.

4

This

is

dangerous

and

sad,

not

salutary. This

is

“techno-utopianism”

5

,

he

says,

although,

more

precisely,

he

means

“techno-dystopianism”. This

is

actually

the

distress signal for a life that seems a lot like immersion in Nozick's experiential

machine

6

and not a proper, authentic, meaningful human life: we become hopeful

to

pick

and

choose

our

experiences

avoiding

aging,

suffering

and

all

human

frailty. Problems

solved, by technology. Well, are they? Gertz refers to

Babette

Babich (2012), who writes about the human attempt to live lives that are contrary

to

life:

“We

want

to

be

anything

but

human

….

To

be

like

our

precisely

manufactured

objects

in

all

their

precision,

all

their

durability,

all

their

replaceability.

We

wish

to

be

objects

with

exchangeable

parts,

infinitely

upgradable”.

7

The

Philosophical

Foundations

of

the

Discourse

on

Technological

Devaluation

Addressing

the

philosophical

foundations

of

the

critical

discourse

on

technological devaluation (“techno-nihilism”) we focus here on the philosophy of

Martin Heidegger and Friedrich Nietzsche. M. Heidegger (as Kierkegaard) speaks

about

the

paramount

importance

of

the

existential

nuisances

which

are

foundational for the human ways of being. These nuisances associated to being

human associate to our insights into Being, to a metaphysical horizon proper to

man via the unfortunate experiences of anxiety, sickness, death and loss (of youth,

of health or of someone dear) instilling and cultivating the very humanness and

beingness in every individual along with a sense of morality and ethics forged not

only by education and law, but first and foremost via personal suffering.

Gertz interprets Heidegger and Nietzsche to emphasize the illusion and the

real

danger

of

the

goal

of

creating

a

world

free

of

unpleasant

experiences

via

technologies. This danger is creating “a reflection-free world”

8

and he develops

this idea by arguing that Heideggerian existentialism shows that by the attempt to

avoid responsibility, we end up with no freedom, and that by attempting to avoid

death,

we

end

up

not

living

at

all.

Nihilism

is

the

result

of

all

human

fears

“resolved”

by

technology.

The

existentialists

argued

that

life

is

meaningless

in

stating the beginning of a human responsibility to infuse meaning into life. The

technological optimists say that life is too messy and complex, too difficult and

4

Ibidem

, p. ix.

5

Idem.

6

Robert Nozick,

Anarchy, State, and Utopia

, New York, Basic Books, 1974.

7

Babette

Babich,

“Nietzsche’s

Post-Human

Imperative:

On

the

‘All-Too-Human’

Dream

of

Transhumanism,”

The Agonist

, Volume IV, No. II, 2012, p. 34, cited by N. Gertz,

Nihilism and

Technology

, London, Rowman & Littlefield, 2018, p. 29.

8

N. Gertz,

Nihilism and Technology

, London, Rowman & Littlefield, 2018, p. ix.

68

Henrieta

Șerban

offer ways out that eliminate life from life. They combat the problems of life and

end up combating all life and living. In this sense is technology inducing nihilism.

In his

interpretation

of

Heidegger, N.

Gertz shows that in

the

course of

human interaction with technology is not exactly our “privacy” that is endangered

as

the

manner

in

which

we

understand

privacy

is

changed

by

the

process

of

receiving “what we want”, but in fact, it obliterates privacy by obliterating Being.

As in Heidegger’s thought (in

Die Frage nach der Technik

, 1954) technology is

seen not as instrument, but as an important mean to perceive and interpret reality,

as a “way of revealing” (

eine Weise des Entbergens

),

in this sense. It is meant as a

mode

of

uncovering

truth

(of

alētheia,

of

unconcealment).

However,

the

technological truth is not for the human being, but for the purposes of technology

itself.

We

call

the

new

purpose

“buttons

pushing”,

while

Heidegger

and

Gertz

called it “standing-reserve”. The roles are reversed. Humans service technology

and are used by it in this sense: phenomena such as “the fear of missing out” that

makes the human beings check their phones so frequently emphasize clearly how

the

roles

are

reversed

and

that

the

human

beings

are

stimulated

(or

even

manipulated) to use their time, their most important and limited resource, along

with other energy and finance resources to service technology, most importantly

by re-affirming its crucial importance with every button pushed, with every email

sent, with every message posted on the varied social networks.

The

human

beings

using

technology

actually

fulfil

the

technological

purpose

of

transforming

those

beings

displaced

from

their

ground

in

ens

perfectissimum

(the perfect being), God to be in the service of technology as user,

creator or repairing person. Technology becomes the master or the dominator of

the human beings in various ways.

The situation challenges the presence of humans or “the being of beings”.

For the Presocratic thinkers Being as presencing

9

was the main feature of being

and

this

is

the

idea

that

Heidegger

develops;

esse

est

percipi

.

Presencing

(

Anwesung

)

of

what

is

present

(

Anwesende

)

holds

the

key

to

the

main

characteristic of Being.

Being as presencing means enduring in unconcealment,

disclosing,

the

self-showing

that

manifests,

that

appears

from

out

of

itself,

showing and not concealing itself, in a Heideggerian concept that combines two

concepts

phusis

(emerging dominance) and

alêtheia

(unconcealment).

This

philosophical

analysis

of

Being

was

intended

as

an

attempt

not

“objectify” beings (to not reduce them to an object for the thinking subject), but

place their

phenomenality

at the foundation of the definition and conceptualization

of

being

through

the

unmediated

experience

of

presencing,

not

as

a

pure

or

9

“Presencing” which translates in English

die Anwesung

, similarly to “essencing” for

Wesung,

is a

philosophical

term

that

did

not

enter

the

current

language

but

which

is

included

in

specialized

philosophical

dictionaries

and

encyclopaedias

in

connection

to

the

phenomenology

of

Martin

Heidegger.

Aspirational Philosophy: The Question of Technologically Induced Nihilism

69

unmediated phenomena, but as a presence that might be mediated and varied. As

we

can

discern,

in

the

light

of

the

above

concepts,

technology

is

more

of

a

phusis

(emerging dominance) than

alêtheia

(unconcealment of truth). In our view,

and in slight contrast with the perspective of Heidegger, the technological truth is

not entirely disclosed: the technological truth as the force cultivating a novel way

of life is disclosed behind the technological truth of usefulness.

Although the philosophical input has acknowledged a long while back that

technology is a dominating presence that regulates and redefines the whole sphere

of existence according to a technological-scientific-industrial characteristic which

is “Enframing” (

Ge-stell

) or restrictive; and this is still a lesson to be understood

by human society at large.

The novel paideutic efforts should cultivate the autonomy of man in front

of the technological-scientific-industrial Procrustean bed type of measuring unit

which is so foreign to the human beings. The methods to prepare for the defence

of the specificity of man in front of the technological

phusis

are offered by classic

philosophy

in

terms

of

argumentation

technics,

logical

instruments

of

thought,

Stoic

vision

of

life

classic,

modern

and

postmodern

educated

taste

for

paradox

and, in general,

a taste for thinking and for being one’s own person. Important

theorists such as Derrida, Foucault and Lyotard have opposed positivism and the

technological domination of the world of man, but their ideas and works are still

less valued since they bear the label of postmodernists which was badly received

precisely out of the lack of capacities and understanding of complex thought even

amidst the ranks of valuable philosophers and intellectuals. Otherwise, untrained

for complex thought, human beings are defenceless and reduced to “stand-reserve

button pushers”, and devalued to extreme, when measured to such technological-

scientific-industrial criteria.

In

this

process

of

frequent,

obsessive

and

compulsive

interaction

with

nowadays

technology

arrives

the

tragic

forgetfulness

of

being

that

explains

the

core of Heidegger’s concept of “nihilism”. One should not focus on the gadgets

or

machines

to

understand

technology

and

the

danger

that

it

poses,

but

on

the

modalities

of

diminishment

of

the

human

beings

and

the

entire

world

to

“standing-reserve“ (

Bestand

), or to the status of resource available for use.

Friedrich

Nietzsche

10

,

another

main

philosopher

too

easily

dismissed

as

irrational, postmodern or even as a resource for the intellectual reservoir of Nazi

ideology (as Heidegger) represents the other major source of Gertz’s work. We

10

Friedrich Nietzsche addresses nihilism, the concept relevant for the categorizations of human

attitudes in front of technology mainly in Friedrich Nietzsche,

Human, All Too Human

, translated

by

R.

J.

Hollingdale,

Cambridge

University

Press,

1996

and

Friedrich

Nietzsche,

Untimely

Meditations

,

translated

by

R.

J.

Hollingdale,

Cambridge

Texts

in

the

History

of

Philosophy,

Cambridge University Press, 1997.

70

Henrieta

Șerban

have to

consider, as Gertz does, especially the concept that “the highest values

devalue themselves”. Here the greatest values are the human beings, creators of

culture

and

technology,

who

devalue

themselves

in

narrowly

and

poorly

conceived

comparisons

(according

to

the

narrow

minded,

that

are,

actually,

the

technologically

“minded”

technological-scientific-industrial

criteria

mentioned

above)

concluding

aberrantly

the

superiority

of

technology

to

man

(e.g.,

the

superiority

of

AI)

and

opening

the

further

path

of

human

development

as

eminently technological and a technologically determined, decided, managed one.

Here we unveil the core of the analysis of the technological devaluation of man.

The

passive

nihilism

of

the

human

beings

who

do

not

take

responsibility

for

determining their own value and their own value system are those who accept the

technological-scientific-industrial criteria uninterrogated and go along with these

‘blindly”

applying

them,

unknowingly

validating

and

supporting

the

process

of

the

tragic forgetfulness of being

. The passive nihilists do not understand what is

the matter and see themselves as factors of advanced progress: people who keep

up with their times.

To keep up with your times is a good attitude. However, when it means

complacence

without

interrogation

of

all

the

technological-scientific-industrial

criteria and blind enrolment into the ways of life imposed by our technological

times

keeping

up

with

one’s

times

is

a

mark

of

passive

nihilism

and

tragic

forgetfulness of being

.

The passive nihilism should be abandoned for an active nihilism attitude

understood as courage to negate, deny and not accept certain aspects taken by the

majority

for

granted,

and

to

embrace

such

a

negating

nihilistic

attitude

with

reasonable arguments in appropriate contexts (such as the contemporary context

of the criteria imposed to humanistic studies and the devaluation of the humanistic

studies and philosophy considered nowadays less important in comparison to the

exact sciences which aggravates the devaluation of man by the contribution of the

accept of the intellectual elites), doing so out of responsibility, out of the propriety

of one’s own person and one’s own system of values. Human beings as human

beings

have

not

only

the

right,

but

also

the

duty

to

their

own

status

of

human

beings to critically engage with the system of values that is imposed and also to

evaluate and criticize the values imposed on them by society.

One cannot vindicate awareness to the danger of technological devaluation

and not endorse active nihilism understood this way, whether one calls it “active

nihilism” or not. For instance, we find in Lucian Blaga (1895 – 1961) important

ideas

in

opposing

the

devaluation

of

man.

We’ve

examined

the

thesis

of

the

“singularity of man” recently in the study titled “On the Singularity of Man in the

(Relative) Bio-ontological

and Meta-biological

Continuity, starting from Lucian

Blaga” [“Despre singularitatea omului în continuitatea (relativă) bio-ontologică și

meta-biologică, pornind de la Lucian Blaga”] capitalizing upon the philosophy of

Aspirational Philosophy: The Question of Technologically Induced Nihilism

71

Lucian

Blaga,

worth

recalling.

11

While

Lucian

Blaga

acknowledges

a

relative

biological and metabiological ontological continuity of life, when it comes to the

living things this perspective is useful more as a background against which the

ontological singularity of man is emphasized. Contemporary context of viewing

the world, especially ecologism and an increased attention for animal rights and

for

the

instances

of

animal

sensible

behaviour

nourishes

a

rather

unnuanced

celebration

of

animal

exceptionality,

at

times,

with

an

explicit

consequence

of

devaluation of man.

12

Certain documentaries present extensively instances where

animals paint, laugh, dance, aid or save human beings, raising openly the question

of human superiority as plain hubris. Contrary to this trend, the paper brings also

to

the

fore

the

more

recent

position

of

Raymond

Tallis

13

,

a

neuroscientist

11

Henrieta

Anișoara

Șerban,

“Despre

singularitatea

omului

în

continuitatea

(relativă)

bio-

ontologică și meta-biologică, pornind de la Lucian Blaga”,

Revista de filosofie

, Bucharest, Volume

LXIX, No. 1, 2022, pp. 21-39 (reference to p. 1).

12

A quote from Huxley seems particularly supportive of this aspect: “Man’s opinion about his

position in relation to the rest of the animals a oscillated between the tendency to attach too much

or

too

little

importance

to

oneself,

sometimes

setting

too

great

a

distance

between

man

and

animals, sometimes too much small. Of course, this distance can be increased either towards the

man or towards animal. One might, like Descartes, consider animals too mechanical, or, like most

unsophisticated people, humanize them too much. Someone can interpret his human species in the

sense

of

dehumanization,

as animal

species,

like

many

others

or

to

overestimate

it

considering

humans something only slightly inferior to the angels. The primitive and the savage accept kinship

with animals and also projects his attributes onto animals. As far as we can tell, he takes little pride

in his humanity.” A. Huxley în „The Uniqueness of Man”,

Man in the Modern World

, New York,

Mentor, 1947, p. 1.

Lucian Blaga considered that the singularity of man distinguishes this being

both

from

beasts

and

angels

,

through

the

specificity

of

the

human

being

always

oriented

to

a

horizon of becoming via cultural, artistic and knowledge creations.

13

Raymond

Tallis,

Aping

Mankind:

Neuromania,

Darwinitis

and

the

Misrepresentation

of

Humanity

, Editura Acumen, 2011. The argument against “aping mankind” is easily translatable

into

a

criticism

of

the

technological

misrepresentation

of

humanity

with

human

beings’

devaluating

consequences.

Our

recent

research

is

capitalized

in

this

respect,

too.

Our

invited

conference,

„Digitalization:

the

world

of

assessment

vs.

the

world

of

becoming”,

at

the

Third

International

Conference

„Philosophy

Nowadays.

Traditions,

Innovations,

Education”,

Varna,

September 9-12, 2021 captured the data-starvation phenomenon analysed in contrast with a more

metaphysical and meaningful idea of becoming which is central for any human being. The paper

“Beyond Humanism, toward What? Where Are We, and Where Are We Going” presented in the

Symposium

of

Humanism

at

the

Romanian

Academy

[the

Committee

for

the

History

and

Philosophy

of

Science

and

Technique,

the

Division

of

Logic,

Methodology

and

Philosophy

of

Science, CRIFST – DLMPS] organized with Constantin Stoenescu February 23, 2023 showed that

more awareness is necessary in evaluating the centrality of human being and the importance of the

humanistic studies and the philosophy of humanism. Humanistic philosophy is called to act as a

guardian

of

human

values.

In

the

article

“Virtualization

and

being

in

‘the

virtual

spheres

of

embrace’. The world of affirmation vs. the world of becoming”, in

Revista de științe Politice și

Relații Internaționale

, Vol. XXI, Nr. 2, 2024, pp. 5-14 I argued for the importance of meaning and

meaningful data in a world of quantitative evaluations. In the study titled “What People Do vs.

72

Henrieta

Șerban

philosopher who plainly calls the contemporary wide spread strong view of bio-

ontological

continuity

of

all

life

“Darwinitis”

(Raymond

Tallis’s

term)

and

reinstates

a

more

complex

interpretation

of

the

human

being

in

its

position

of

singularity first and foremost in terms of responsibilities to mankind, to the living

things,

to

society

and

to

personal

life

and

development,

as

well

as

in

terms

of

capabilities.

Lucian

Blaga

approaches

the

singularity

of

man,

via

the

aspirational

concept

of

“the

height”

of

human

being’s

consciousness

and

thought

,

which

reflects the metaphysical vision of man’s unique position living for mystery and

revelation and not solely for survival and security, or tending to immediate needs

(for

instance,

these

of

the

lower

levels

in

Maslow’s

pyramid). Thus,

man

is

in

Lucian Blaga above animals and angels, as presented both in works such as “The

Genesis of Metaphor and the Meaning of Culture”

14

, (included in

The Trilogy of

Culture

), and in

Horizons and Stages

(

Zări și etape

). In Lucian Blaga man is no

enhanced animal, no deformed angel, but a being in becoming, with an entirely

different

and

particular

status

existing

for

revealing

mysteries

via

knowledge,

culture and artistic creations. In

The Trilogy of Knowledge

L. Blaga developed the

idea

via

the

concept

of

a

“type

II

knowledge”

(first,

poetically

and

rather

confusingly

termed

“Luciferian

knowledge”

with

input

in

the

complex

thought

that works with the unknown even when it is maintained, radicalized, or when it

becomes permanent. Also, the uniqueness of man is further analysed in the section

devoted

to

the

structure

of

the

unconscious,

“personance”

(the

unique

and

symbolically-stylistically

governed

unconscious-consciousness

connection

essential for human view of the world and human creativity) and the “existence in

mystery and for revelation” in the

Trilogy of Culture.

In

what

concerns

the

singularity

of

man,

Lucian

Blaga

argues

that

man

cannot be understood only as an evolved animal (biological view) nor as a pure

spirit/angel (theological/romantic view). He has his own ontological status, being

the only being who creates culture and lives in tension between the mystery of the

world and the need for revelation.

What People Should Do. A Discussion Concerning Sophia, the Android Citizen”,

Annals- Series

in

Philosophy,

Psychology

and

Theology

,

Volume

XII,

No.

1-2,

2024,

pp.

52-69

I

set

in

perspective the hasty and dangerous aspects of technological progress contrasting personalism and

the

value

of

person

with

the

“fate”

of

Sophia,

the

android

citizen

which

was

so

visible,

so

important,

which

opinion

was

valued

and

sought

for,

based

on

nothing

else

than

the

supposed

intelligence and which was shut down over night, rather in secrecy, with no regard for the meaning

and

consequences

of

promoting

an

android

as

citizen,

respectively,

for

the

consequences

of

shutting down a citizen, be it artificial. My studies, taken together form a corresponding concept

for the R. Tallis’s “Darwinitis”, as well misrepresenting (and diminishing) humanity and man, the

concept of “AI-nitis” (an “illness” of information technology positivism and of IT-optimism).

14

See,

in

English

Angela

Botez,

R.T.

Allen

and

Henrieta

Anișoara

Șerban

(co-eds.),

Lucian

Blaga: Selected Philosophical Extracts

, Vernon Press, 2018, passim.

Aspirational Philosophy: The Question of Technologically Induced Nihilism

73

Man

is

distinguished

from

animals

by

the

ability

to

live

by

“revealing

metaphors”,

in

the

sense

that

man

lives

and

prospers

as

well

spiritually,

by

expected and unexpected discoveries, by cultural creation, by art and a specific

sensitivity to symbolical, mythical and, in general, to deeper meanings, which are

otherwise

than

common

sense,

positivistic

or

utilitarian.

Man,

paradoxically,

is

and is not bound and not so much bound only by biological needs. The human

being relates in various ways to her material condition, but this relation is mostly

trans-figurative, transformational at spiritual levels, too.

All these ideas clarify further the tragic dimension of the forgetfulness of

(human) being and of the technological devaluation of man. In this perspective the

active nihilism investigated above is just a part of the complex manifestations of

the singularity of man.

The

New

Technological

Enlightenment

15

can

be

appreciated

as

true-

Enlightenment

in

the

perspective

of

the

accomplishments

of

the

restless

inquisitive

and

interrogative

creative

human

being,

in

the

new

possibilities

for

knowledge

and

the

development

of

the

human

species,

but

not

as

a

source

of

criteria for the devaluation of man. In this respect, we should mention the Age of

GenAI

that

induces

a

technological

revolution

acting

as

a

cognitive

multiplier,

15

The

New

Technological

Enlightenment

is

approached

in

M.

Gabriel

et

al.,

Towards

a

New

Enlightenment

,

The

New

Institute,

2022

(about

a

"New

Enlightenment"

that

is

future-oriented,

characterized by humanity's coexistence with technology, artificial intelligence, and digital tools);

Bhabani Shankar Nayak, et al.,

Dialectic of Digital Enlightenment

, published on ResearchGate,

2023

a

volume

of

several

studies

approaching

ethical,

Kantian

perspectives

on

AI

and

digital

capitalism,

with

post-Marxism

stances

on

algorithmic

governance.

Paul

Cairney

and

Kathryn

Oliver (European Commission) in P. Cairney, K. Oliver et al.,

Enlightenment 2.0: Report by the

Public Policy, Administration and Sociology group

. European Commission Joint Research Centre

(JRC),

2018

scrutinize

the

integration

of

scientific

results

in

policy-making

of

a

cutting-edge,

technological,

well-managed

and

ethical

algorithmic

society.

An

intriguing

concept,

“N-

Lightenment”, conceived in the IT specialized discussions the convergence of nanotechnology, AI,

and information technology and is still very actual after a couple of decades. See Michael Buerger,

“From

the

Enlightenment

to

N-Lightenment”,

May

8,

2006,

https://www.thekurzweillibrary.com/from-the-enlightenment-to-n-lightenment,

accessed

March

24, 2026: “What do I make of this nanotechnology thing? I suspect it will be very much like its

predecessors, a potentially transformative technology that will be bound on the bed of Procrustes

of the older social and economic systems that midwifed it. Because of that, it has considerable

potential

to

be

more

Pandora’s

Box

than

Holy

Grail

in

the

early

going.

Assuming

that

its

byproducts do not poison the groundwater or become an airborne grey goo, it will almost have to

achieve

an

outlaw

status

(or

its

more

egalitarian

potential

championed

by

those

who

will

be

deemed outlaws) before it reaches a socially transformative cusp. In the near term, whether I buy it

in a store or make it with my nanofactory, I will still have to pay for toilet paper.” [Ray Kurzweil

is an American inventor, futurist, and author known for his accurate predictions on technological

advancements

and

AI,

a

director

of

engineering

at

Google

focusing

on

machine

intelligence,

a

pioneer in

OCR technology

, text-to-speech, and musical synthesizers, famous for predicting the

“(technological) singularity”, namely the merging of AI and human intelligence.]

74

Henrieta

Șerban

increasing productivity and creating new opportunities for progress in medicine,

science,

and

creativity.

A

“New

Industrialism”

couples

with a

genuine

phenomenon of technological Enlightenment that involves revitalizing industrial

production through AI-based open-source tools, smart manufacturing, and placing

higher value on maintenance and repair work, as highlighted by new studies of

“Lunar Societies”

16

.

However, this same revolution imposes the vindication of personal digital

selves.

It

emphasizes

that

Digital

Positivism

understood

as

the

uncritical

belief

that digital data and algorithms can solve all problems is ridiculously utopian and

counterproductive. Algorithms should be controlled and the autonomy should be

reserved only to the human beings who have to be educated, trained and prepared

better for the new times. The accumulation of data for AI models should definitely

not override traditional humanist ideals of rationality and autonomy, or personal

privacy or human rights. Humanity should follow and cultivate plural avenues of

progress

which

should

not

be

captured

by

the

algorithmic

and

AI

one.

The

“Digital

Enlightenment”

has

a

serious

potential

as

a

“New

Dark Age”

and

we

already

experience

this

duality

of

our

contemporary

reality,

facing

the

forgetfulness

of

being,

the

technologically

induced

devaluation

of

man

and

the

“organized immaturity” associated to the technologically cultivated phenomenon

of “the fear of missing out”.

Aspirational philosophy against the glitch of techno-nihilism.

Conclusive remarks

Nihilism

is

a

very

controversial

and

misunderstood

philosophical

concept.

Aspirational philosophy counters passive nihilism, the nihilism of those who do

not see the purpose of care anymore and overly optimistic (and mistakenly) trust

technology to take care of everything. At the same time, aspirational philosophy

highlights

the

educational,

value,

moral

and

ethical

horizon

necessary

to

consciously

embrace

life

full

of

meaning,

responsibility

and

value.

This

potentially novel branch of philosophy – aspirational philosophy – develops under

various

(metaphysical,

ontological,

phenomenological,

pedagogical

and

ethical)

aspects

a

conscious

effort

to

place

humans,

rather

than

just

technology,

at

the

16

The Lunar Society (c. 1765–1813) was an influential, informal club of prominent industrialists,

natural philosophers, and intellectuals in Birmingham, England, who met on the Monday closest to

the full moon to travel home safely after discussions. These scholars sought to apply science to

industry,

promoting

key

advances

of

the

Enlightenment

and

the

Industrial

Revolution.

See

D.

A. Mindell,

The

New

Lunar

Society:

An

Enlightenment

Guide

to

the

Revolution

, IEEE,

2026

interprets

the

new

industrial

revolution,

deemed

comparable

with

the

original Enlightenment in its objective leap in knowledge and technological development, as well

as in using technology for collective and individual improvement.

Aspirational Philosophy: The Question of Technologically Induced Nihilism

75

centre

of

development,

ensuring

the

new

tools

work

for

a

sustainable

and

equitable

human

future.

What

we

may

call

the

“humanistic

glitch”

is

described

by

the

loss

of

humanistic meaning that places distinctive value on the human being, amplified

by

a

diminished

empathy

and

care,

mutatis

mutandis

,

tending

to

dangerously

shrink the idea and the concreteness of the human community to just a selection of

individuals “meaning starved, data-driven, so, optimized”, as a saying goes among

the critics of the “New Dark Age”. As in the

The Myth of Sisyphus

(Albert Camus)

aspirational

philosophers

should

insist

on

the

cultivation

of

complex

meaning

suitable

to

all

human

dimensions,

inclusively

to

the

spiritual

one

and

not

exclusively

to

the

logical-algorithmic

one,

fighting

daily

the

technological

impoverishment of meaning and being.

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