[PHILOS-L] Second Call - Book Project - BETWEEN OBJECTS AND NETWORKS: NEW ONTOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

[Ozlem Derin Saglam]

BETWEEN OBJECTS AND NETWORKS: NEW ONTOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Editors: Adnan Akan & Ozlem Derin Saglam
We invite contributions to an international edited volume on digital ontology, artificial intelligence, and the posthuman.

Submission Guidelines:
- Length: 6000–9000 words
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt
- Alignment: Justified
- Citation Style: APA 7th edition
- Language: English

Suggested Topics (but not limited to):
- Artificial intelligence and ontology
- Digital objects and data ontology
- Philosophy of mind and artificial consciousness
- Posthumanism and transhumanism
- Network theory and distributed being
- Digital art and ontology
- Simulation and virtual reality

This project seeks to foster a rigorous and innovative dialogue on the ontological transformations of the digital age and to develop new theoretical frameworks. We welcome original, conceptually strong, and interdisciplinary contributions.
Core Problematics
In today’s world:
• Are algorithms merely tools, or a form of being?
• Are AI systems epistemic instruments, or ontological actors?
• Can digital objects (data, code, simulations) be considered “real”?
• Is the human subject dissolving within networks?
• How do posthuman and transhuman forms of existence challenge our ontological categories?
Rather than offering fragmented answers, this project aims to develop a coherent and integrated framework for digital ontology.
Theoretical Background
This volume establishes a dialogue among key contemporary approaches, including:
• Network-based ontologies (e.g., Bruno Latour)
• Object-oriented ontology (e.g., Graham Harman)
• Posthumanism and cyborg theory (e.g., Donna Haraway)
• Transhumanist future perspectives (e.g., Nick Bostrom)
• Debates on mind and consciousness (e.g., David Chalmers; Daniel Dennett)
However, the aim is not merely to compile these approaches, but to move beyond them by developing a new ontological model.
Aims and Contributions
This project pursues three primary contributions:
1. A Conceptual Framework for Digital Ontology
• The ontological status of code, data, and algorithms
• The category of artificial agents as entities
2. A Theory of Distributed and Hybrid Being
• Ontological structures formed by humans, machines, and networks
• Concepts such as the “distributed subject” and “artificial ontic entity”
3. A New Research Program
• Establishing a sustained dialogue between ontology, artificial intelligence, and art
Areas of Contribution
We welcome original contributions on (but not limited to) the following themes:
• Artificial intelligence and ontology
• Digital objects and data ontology
• Algorithmic being and software metaphysics
• Philosophy of mind and artificial consciousness
• Posthumanism and transhumanism
• Posthuman subjectivity
• Network theory and distributed being
• Digital art and ontological aesthetics
• Simulation, virtual reality, and the concept of reality
Methodological Approach
This project encourages contributions that are:
• Interdisciplinary
• Conceptually rigorous
• Critical yet constructive
• Speculative yet well-grounded
Submissions that go beyond descriptive analysis and offer conceptual innovation will be prioritized.

Please send your submissions to: digitalon...@gmail.com

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