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Journal of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine

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The second axial age in the era of artificial intelligence: transformation of the legal paradigm

Tetiana O. Pikulia

Received 23.01.2026, Revised 23.03.2026, Accepted 30.06.2026

Abstract

The contemporary stage of human development is characterized by profound civilizational transformations driven by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, the digitalization of all spheres of social life, and a crisis of legitimacy of traditional legal institutions. These processes call into question the stability of the classical universalist paradigm of law and human rights formed during the first Axial Age and actualize the need to rethink the normative foundations of modern law. The purpose of this article is to assess the possibility of interpreting the present era as a “second Axial Age” (by analogy with Karl Jaspers’ concept) and to determine the nature of the transformation of the legal paradigm – from an individually universalist understanding of law to a posthumanist model. The study employs the historical-philosophical method, theoretical modeling, and comparative analysis in order to provide a systematic and interdisciplinary examination of the “second Axial Age” hypothesis and its practical integration into the conceptual and categorical framework of legal theory. The hypothesis of the emergence of a “second Axial Age” is substantiated, manifested in a shift from individual moral autonomy to a collective ethical framework. It is demonstrated that law is undergoing a transformation from a universalist natural law paradigm to a posthumanist model that encompasses the regulation of autonomous artificial intelligence decision-making, the recognition of the rights of future generations, and potentially non-human subjects. The scientific novelty of the study lies in substantiating the posthumanist evolution of law as an integral component of a broader civilizational axial shift and in developing theoretical foundations for rethinking the sources of normativity under conditions of digital interdependence. The results of the research may be used to advance legal theory as well as to shape conceptual approaches to the legal regulation of artificial intelligence in Ukraine and the European Union.

Keywords:

second Axial Age; artificial intelligence; posthumanist legal paradigm; regulation of autonomous decision-making

https://doi.org/10.31359/1993-0909.2026.33.2.53

Retrieved from Journal NALSU №2, 2026 year

Pages 53-63

References Suggested citation

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Suggested citation

Pikulia, T.O. (2026). The second axial age in the era of artificial intelligence: transformation of the legal paradigm. Journal of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, 33(2), 53-63. https://doi.org/10.31359/1993-0909.2026.33.2.53