Stilyan Yotov is a Bulgarian philosopher, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences and Professor of the History of Philosophy at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. His academic interests include the history of philosophy, early modern philosophy, German classical philosophy, philosophy of law, and social and political philosophy. He is the author of Introduction to the Philosophy of Law (1994), Justice and Respect (2001), Ethics and Multiculturalism: Building Blocks and Sketches (2003), Equality and Egalitarianism: An Attempt to Understand the Welfare State (2004), and Habermas and the Claims of Autonomy (2006). He has translated works by Kant, Habermas, Adorno, Horkheimer and Benjamin from German. Wine is also among his wide-ranging interests, serving as a field for exploring communication and the transformation of social space.

The invisible cultural and philosophical aspect of wine in the age of AI

Wine has accompanied human societies for millennia. It has been woven into cultural traditions, rituals, art, stories and human relationships. It has become part of collective memory, community identity and the ways in which people experience belonging to a place and a culture.

What makes wine such an enduring and meaningful cultural phenomenon? Why do we continue to attach value to it beyond its material qualities? What human needs does it fulfil, and how might its role evolve in a world where technology increasingly mediates our decisions, communication and relationships?

This discussion will explore wine through the philosophical dimensions of culture, memory, identity, communication and human choice. It will raise questions about authenticity, the significance of rituals and face-to-face encounters, and the preservation and reinterpretation of traditions amid technological change.

Conceived as an open philosophical dialogue, the panel welcomes differing and potentially conflicting perspectives. Its purpose is to broaden our understanding of wine’s future and to explore which aspects of human culture and our relationships with one another are worth preserving.