David Perrin's article establishes a remarkable bridge between medieval philosophical debates on the nature of intelligence and contemporary questions raised by artificial intelligence. The author explores how thirteenth-century inquiries concerning the Averroist theory of monopsychism resonate with our current concerns about digital technologies.
Monopsychism, championed by the Arab philosopher Averroès, postulated the existence of a single universal intellect to which individuals would temporarily connect in order to think. This conception, vigorously contested by Thomas d'Aquin, who defended the individuality of the human intellect, raises questions strikingly similar to those posed by modern AI systems: when we use digital tools to "think," are we truly exercising our own intelligence, or are we simply connecting to an external intelligence?
The article draws on the thought of Michel Serres to analyze these parallels. Contemporary technologies, by externalizing certain cognitive functions, create a form of collective or distributed intellect reminiscent of the Averroist concept. However, this "connection" carries significant philosophical and political risks that medieval thinkers could not have anticipated.
David Perrin warns against a potential "intellectual subjugation" facilitated by technology platforms. Unlike Averroès's separate intellect, which remained an abstract philosophical concept, today's AI systems are controlled by companies that massively collect user data and exploit it for commercial purposes. This power asymmetry creates a cognitive dependency in which individuals progressively delegate their capacity for reflection to external systems.
The author emphasizes that this cognitive externalization is not neutral: it alters our relationship to knowledge and truth. The algorithms that mediate our access to information shape our perception of the world, creating "information bubbles" that can restrict the intellectual autonomy Thomas d'Aquin regarded as fundamental to human dignity.
The text also examines the political dimension of these technologies. Technology companies wield considerable power over collective cognitive processes, concentrating in a few hands the capacity to steer the thinking of millions of users. This centralization recalls the danger identified by medieval critics of monopsychism: if the intellect is not properly individual, what becomes of moral responsibility and personal agency?
In conclusion, David Perrin calls for critical vigilance toward digital technologies. He advocates preserving individual intellectual autonomy while acknowledging the potential of technological tools. The lesson of the medieval debates remains relevant: preserving the human capacity to think for oneself is a fundamental philosophical, ethical, and political stake — perhaps even more crucial in the age of AI than in the time of Averroès and Thomas d'Aquin.