Metasonology: A Foundational Framework for the Philosophy and Phenomenology of Sound in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Metasonology: A Foundational Framework for the Philosophy and Phenomenology of Sound in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Author and Founder: Prof. Dr. Mutasem Adileh Affiliation: Dar Al-Kalima University, Bethlehem, Palestine Year: 2025 Keywords: Metasonology, Sound Studies, Phenomenology, Sonic Ontology, Digital Humanities, Artificial Intelligence, Auditory Consciousness Abstract Our contemporary era is witnessing a profound transformation in human auditory experience due to the growing influence of artificial intelligence and digital technologies. Sound has transcended its dimensions as a sensory or physical phenomenon, becoming a cognitive, cultural, and ontological dimension that links human consciousness, memory, identity, and bodily experience. Metasonology, founded by Professor Mutasem Adileh, is a new scientific and philosophical discipline that studies sound as a multi-layered phenomenon connecting human experience and digital media. This theoretical and methodological framework provides tools for analyzing both human-generated and algorithmically processed sounds, integrating phenomenology, ontology, anthropology, and digital sciences. This foundational approach enhances the understanding of the interactions between auditory experience, cultural meaning, and technological transformation, and lays the groundwork for the development of Post-Metasonology, which will address non-human and algorithmic auditory perception. Introduction The twenty-first century is witnessing an unprecedented transformation in human perception and consciousness, driven by the widespread proliferation of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Today, sound has become a complex cognitive and cultural structure, encoded, processed, and transformed by algorithms, whereas it was previously considered purely a sensory phenomenon. In this context, traditional humanities face difficulties in fully capturing the ontological and phenomenological dimensions of contemporary auditory experience. Metasonology addresses this epistemic challenge by dedicating itself to the study of sound as an existential and cognitive space, combining human bodily experience with digital media. Unlike sonology or traditional musicology, Metasonology treats sound as a bridge linking consciousness, memory, identity, and technology, providing conceptual tools to understand the complex interactions between human auditory perception and its artificial extensions. Theoretical Foundations Metasonology is based on a multidisciplinary theoretical framework, which includes: • Phenomenology of Sound: Inspired by Merleau-Ponty (1945/2012) and Nancy (2007), sound is studied as an embodied experience inseparable from perception, memory, and consciousness. • Anthropology and Sonic Culture: Following Feld (1996) and Merriam (1964), sound is situated within cultural and social systems, studying its role in identity, rituals, and collective memory. • Philosophy of Sound and Metaphysics: Drawing on Schaeffer (1966) and Chion (1994), sound is analyzed as a medium transcending its physical properties, linking existence and meaning. • Digital and Algorithmic Media: Informed by Sterne (2012), Ihde (2007), and Stiegler (2018), this dimension examines the integration of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in shaping auditory perception and cognition. Integrating these perspectives enables the construction of a new epistemic space in which sound is understood as a multi-layered phenomenon—human and post-human, physical and metaphysical. Epistemological Structure of Metasonology Metasonology proposes studying sound as a multidimensional cognitive entity, which includes: • Auditory Ontology: The existential dimension of sound as a mode of being that links the self to the world. • Embodied Phenomenology: The sensory and affective experience of sound intertwined with memory and the body. • Cultural Sonic Systems: Sound as a transmitter of cultural meaning and identity formation. • Digital Ontology: Interaction between human auditory perception and algorithmically mediated soundscapes. • Sonic Metaphysics: Studying sound as a medium linking materiality, consciousness, and existential experience. Methodological Framework Metasonology employs a multidisciplinary methodology, which includes: • Phenomenological Analysis: Studying the lived experience of sound in humans. • Anthropological Observation: Investigating sound within cultural and ritual practices. • Cognitive-Technical Assessment: Examining the effects of digital and algorithmically generated sounds on human perception. • Experimental Auditory Research: Conducting controlled experiments to understand listeners’ interactions with automated sounds. These methods provide a comprehensive understanding of sound as both a human bodily phenomenon and a digitally mediated cognitive experience. Discussion: From Metasonology to Post-Metasonology While Metasonology establishes philosophical, humanistic, and methodological foundations for the study of sound in the digital age, it also lays the groundwork for Post-Metasonology, which will investigate sound when it becomes partially autonomous, algorithmically generated, and not fully tied to human experience. Therefore, Metasonology acts as a cognitive bridge linking human experience to the understanding of post-human and AI-driven auditory transformations. Conclusion Metasonology represents a methodological shift in the study of sound. It restores the human dimension to auditory experience while interacting rigorously with artificial intelligence and digital technologies. Sound is understood as a medium of consciousness and a locus of knowledge, connecting the body, memory, identity, culture, and technology. Through the establishment by Professor Mutasem Adileh, Metasonology asserts that the twentyfirst century is the era of auditory transformation, where perception, knowledge, and existence intersect within the multidimensional field of sound. References • Chion, M. (1994). Audio-vision: Sound on screen. Columbia University Press. • Feld, S. (1996). Waterfalls of song: An acoustemology of place resounding in Bosavi, Papua New Guinea. In Senses of Place (pp. 91–135). School of American Research Press. • Ihde, D. (2007). Listening and voice: Phenomenologies of sound. State University of New York Press. • Merleau-Ponty, M. (2012). Phenomenology of perception (D. A. Landes, Trans.). Routledge. (Original work published 1945) • Nancy, J.-L. (2007). Listening (C. Mandell, Trans.). Fordham University Press. • Schaeffer, P. (1966). Traité des objets musicaux. Éditions du Seuil. • Sterne, J. (2012). MP3: The meaning of a format. Duke University Press. • Stiegler, B. (2018). Technics and Time, 3: Cinematic time and the question of malaise. Stanford University Press.