Hylomorphic Foundations of the Metaphysical Discontinuity Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Subjectivity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53439/stdfyt57.29.2026.43-71Keywords:
ontology, philosophical anthropology, hylomorphism, teleology, philosophy of technology, technical subsidiarityAbstract
The proliferation of increasingly advanced artificial intelligence systems marks a decisive inflection in the way contemporary societies conceive the relationship between humanity and technology. This evolution obscures the traditional boundaries between the natural and the artificial, while raising novel and pressing challenges for legal philosophy. The present inquiry seeks to construct a philosophical-legal framework anchored in a radical ontological distinction between human beings and artificial systems, with the aim of articulating normative principles capable of guiding their development without undermining human dignity. Grounded in the tradition of moderate realism, the analysis argues that artificial systems, lacking substantial unity, conscious interiority, and authentic intentionality, cannot be deemed ontologically equivalent to human persons. The core thesis contends that this ontological discontinuity entails inviolable normative constraints on both the conception and the use of artificial intelligence, thereby requiring regulatory measures that acknowledge the singular ontological status of the human and preserve non-transferable domains of agency. In a global landscape increasingly structured by the automation of human capacities, the proposed framework offers a philosophically rigorous foundation for public policy, one that subordinates technological progress to the integral flourishing of the person and reaffirms dignity as a foundational juridical principle.
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