AIF Insights No. 34 (2025) | Hume, Nāgārjuna, and AI: A Fusion of Philosophies for a Digital Age
2025-09-26
CHHEM Kieth Rethy, MD, PhD (Edu), and PhD (His)
This paper explores the intersection of David Hume’s empiricism and Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka philosophy as a framework for rethinking artificial intelligence. Hume’s bundle theory of the self and Nāgārjuna’s doctrine of emptiness both reject the notion of intrinsic identity, portraying persons and phenomena as dynamic processes rather than enduring substances. Recent scholarship suggests Hume may have encountered Buddhist ideas through Jesuit intellectual networks linking Asia and Europe, illustrating how cross-cultural dialogue shaped early modern philosophy. Read together, these perspectives illuminate the nonessential nature of AI systems. AI is not a metaphysical “machine mind” but a contingent constellation of algorithms, data, hardware, and social contexts. This process view emphasizes relational ethics, situating responsibility in human networks of design and governance, and encourages design humility by resisting myths of autonomous superintelligence. By adopting a fusion philosophy that draws on both Western empiricism and Buddhist metaphysics, we can approach AI as an interdependent, impermanent phenomenon, fostering more responsible and globally informed governance in the digital age.
