Philosophical Alternatives 5/2026

Ina Nikolova (PhD student at Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
The Concept of Recognition: Similarities and Differences Between Jurgen Habermas and Axel Honneth in the Context of Intellectual Traditions
https://doi.org/10.58945/RNYT7927
Abstract: This article analyzes the concept of recognition within contemporary critical theory through a comparative examination of the theoretical approaches of Jurgen Habermas and Axel Honneth. The study traces the philosophical genesis of the idea of mutual recognition in the tradition of German idealism, from Immanuel Kant and Johann Gottlieb Fichte to Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, as well as its further development in the social psychology of George Herbert Mead. Against this backdrop, the article examines different interpretations of social integration, the normative foundations of social order, and the mechanisms of social conflict in the works of Habermas and Honneth. While Habermas emphasizes the theory of communicative action and discourse ethics as the basis of social integration, Honneth develops a normative theory in which struggles for recognition are interpreted as a driving force of moral progress. The article highlights the significance of the concept of recognition as an analytical framework for understanding contemporary social conflicts and the pursuit of social justice.
Keywords: recognition; German idealism; social integration; social conflict; identity; Jürgen Habermas; Axel Honneth

Nikolay Alexandrov (Doctor of Philosophy of Law and Politics, Doctor of Journalism at the University of Veliko Tarnovo “St. St. Cyril and Methodius”)
The Reality of Law in Hans Kelsen’s Normative Theory
https://doi.org/10.58945/YOWZ1233
Abstract: The article is devoted to a number of key topics and problems of the normative theory of the Austrian jurist and philosopher Hans Kelsen. In order to expand the ideas about the nature of his teaching, the text indicates the reasons for the development of the pure theory of law, which, in the opinion of the Austrian scholar, should be freed from those areas of knowledge that have no direct relation to jurisprudence. In this regard, it is explained that Kelsen seeks to consider law by analogy with Kant’s thing-in-itself, i.e., in complete theoretical isolation, justifying this approach with the self-sufficiency of law in its normative form. In addition to these issues, this text examines the Austrian scholar’s views on morality, justice, the constitution, the state, and international law in the context of the normative theory. The article also points out the weaknesses and contradictions in Hans Kelsen’s teaching.
Keywords: law; normativism; Kantianism; neopositivism; jurisprudence; morality; justice; constitution; international law

Hanaa Sfeir, Galin Penev (DSc., Professor at the Faculty of Theology, Saint-Paul University Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Assistant Professor, Dr. at Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
The Contemporary Idolatry and the Iconization of the World
https://doi.org/10.58945/UOSV1222
Abstract: This article examines the persistence of idolatry in contemporary societies by showing that stereotypes function as secular idols: saturated, closed images that substitute for reality, structure collective imagination, and fuel cultural wars. The central problem is to understand how the theological mechanisms of the idol—saturation of the gaze, closure of meaning, abolition of critical distance—reappear today in representations of the world through new idolatric modalities, namely stereotypes. The theoretical framework draws on Marion’s phenomenology of the idol (1979, 1990) and Lippmann’s theory of social representations (1922). The analysis unfolds in three stages: first, a phenomenology of the idol as a dispositif of perceptual saturation; second, a hermeneutics of contemporary idolatry, showing its displacement into political, media, sporting, and technological spheres; and finally, a proposal for an “iconization of the world,” understood as an ethics of the gaze that dismantles idolatric fixation, renders stereotypical constructions visible, and reopens the intentional horizon towards the invisible. The article argues that only such critical iconization makes it possible to resist the new forms of idolatry that structure the public sphere and narcissistically stabilize the modern subject.
Keywords: idolatry; icon; stereotype; social representations; phenomenology; hermeneutics; iconization of the world

Krasimir Delchev (Professor, DSc. at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”)
The Kierkegaard–Hegel Relation. Is Kierkegaard Blameless in “Fear and Trembling”?
https://doi.org/10.58945/ZCDI7438
Abstract: The article is a critical analysis of the relationship between Kierkegaard and Hegel, focusing on the work “Fear and Trembling”. It questions the traditional claim that Kierkegaard convincingly refuted Hegel through the concept of the “paradoxical faith” of Abraham.
Keywords: Kierkegaard; Hegel; dialectics; leap

Taimoor Farouk (Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Forman Christian College University, Lahore, Pakistan; Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria)
The Limits of Authenticity: Identity, Access, and Normative Failure
https://doi.org/10.58945/EXDT6691
Abstract: This paper argues that authenticity fails to function as an action-guiding ethical ideal under contemporary conditions. Authenticity presupposes that there is an identity that is prior to its expression, stable enough to serve as a standard of assessment, and accessible to the subject in a form that can guide action. Drawing on Butler’s account of performativity and Baudrillard’s analysis of simulation, the paper shows that the stability and independence of such an identity can no longer be sustained. It then turns to Kripke’s distinction between metaphysical necessity and epistemic accessibility to argue that, even if identity were to exist in a robust sense, it would not follow that it is available in a way that could guide deliberation. The paper concludes that, in the absence of such access, authenticity cannot function as an action-guiding ethical ideal.
Keywords: Authenticity; Identity; Normativity; Action Guidance; Performativity; Self-Relation

Oluwaseun Opeyemi Jemilehin, Moses Akinnade Jawo (PhD, Lecturer at the Department of Philosophy, Osun State University, Osogbo, Ikire Campus, Osun State, Nigeria; PhD, Lecturer at the Department of Philosophy, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria)
Evaluating the Epistemic Foundation of African Moral Thought in Light of Liberal Moral Theory
https://doi.org/10.58945/CPOG2486
Abstract: This paper argues for the existence of a non-religious epistemic foundation in African Moral Thought. It recognises the popularity of religious epistemic foundations and persuasive arguments behind them in African Moral Thought. However, it argues that a deeper reflection on the patterns of moral thinking among Africans shows the influence of a non-religious epistemic foundation, identifiable as a liberal conception of morality. The paper identifies two positions among scholars who uphold the religious epistemic foundation for African morality. The first position maintains that religion is the only epistemic foundation. The paper argues that this position is too strong, and consequently, the existence of non-religious personalities who are arguably moral proves the point to be false. The second position admits some non-religious epistemic foundations but either submerged such with religious foundations or regards those non-religious epistemic foundations as a kind of irregularity. This paper concludes that moral norms and codes in African tradition, Yoruba society as an example, develop from the people’s experience, and are learned and relearned across generations to serve as a guide for their existential survival.
Keywords: african moral thought; epistemic foundation; liberal; religion; morality

Doroteya Angelova (Associate Professor, Dr. at Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
Hybrid Approaches in Artificial Intelligence: Methodological Perspectives and Applications
https://doi.org/10.58945/CBST6212
Abstract: The article presents a number of applications of hybrid approaches in the field of artificial intelligence. It examines specific hybrid models, including neuro-symbolic ones, with a focus on the different relationships between the functionalities and mechanisms inherent in symbolic artificial intelligence and those characteristic of generative artificial intelligence. Particular attention is devoted to the role of certain non-classical logics in hybrid artificial intelligence. The perspectives of hybrid approaches in artificial intelligence are analyzed from a methodological point of view and arguments are presented as to how they are superior to other approaches in this area.
Keywords: hybrid approaches in artificial intelligence; neuro-symbolic artificial intelligence; symbolic artificial intelligence; generative artificial intelligence

Kamelia Petkova (Associate Professor, Dr. at Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
The Peripheries of the City: On Space, Boundaries and Exclusion
https://doi.org/10.58945/XJBR9244
Abstract: The article examines Roma ghettoized structures as specific socio-spatial forms of exclusion within the contemporary city. Its main objective is to analyse how urban peripheries are experienced by their inhabitants and how they function as boundaries of belonging, participation, and access to resources. The study is based on a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews conducted in six Bulgarian cities: Lom, Asenovgrad, Ruse, Kyustendil, Straldzha, and Dobrich. The findings show that peripheries are perceived not merely as geographically distant spaces but as socially and symbolically distinct zones in which various forms of exclusion are manifested. They function as boundaries that separate the “inside” from the “outside,” limit opportunities for social mobility, and shape the ways in which individuals perceive their future. At the same time, internal differentiation is observed, with certain cases demonstrating processes of partial integration related to education, employment, and local initiatives. Based on the empirical analysis, the article proposes a typology of the experience of peripherality, distinguishing three main types: space of isolation, space of limited opportunities, and space of partial integration. This typology shows that peripheries do not represent a homogeneous social reality, but rather a dynamic and multi-layered structure. The study contributes to the understanding of space as an active factor in the production and reproduction of social inequalities and raises the question of the boundaries of participation and belonging in the contemporary city.
Keywords: spatial segregation; Roma neighbourhoods; social exclusion; urban peripheries; social integration

Radostina Minina (Assistant Professor, Dr. at Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
The Ontology of Meaning Emergence: Psychodrama and Group Psychotherapy as a Privileged Site for Its Investigation
https://doi.org/10.58945/HBUZ2787
Abstract: This article proposes an ontology of a specific type of emergence – meaning emergence among conscious subjects in a group context. While classical emergence theory describes the appearance of new properties at the system level from an external observer’s position, we argue that among humans there exists a qualitatively different type of emergence that requires subjective presence as a constitutive condition, not a side effect. Psychodrama and group psychotherapy are considered a privileged methodological site for studying this emergence. Moreno’s key concepts – tele, warming up, and spontaneity – are reinterpreted as ontological categories describing the conditions, the moment, and the trace of meaning emergence. The article proposes a three-layered ontology: ontology of conditions, ontology of the moment, and ontology of the trace.
Keywords: emergence; psychodrama; Moreno; ontology; systems thinking; spontaneity; tele; group psychotherapy

Silviya Mineva (Professor, Dr. at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”)
Ethics at a Crossroads: Between Moral Autonomy and Technological Autonomization
https://doi.org/10.58945/DFRU5346