Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili (uma), Ardabil, Iran
2 PhD Graduate in Philosophy of Art, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The Fourth Revolution, driven by data, has transformed not only the tools of human life, but also the very foundations of human identity. This article, drawing upon the anthropological dimensions of two distinct theoretical frameworks—Heidegger’s existential analyticand Floridi’s philosophy of information—argues that neither is sufficient on its own to provide a comprehensive account of human identity in the digital world. The analysis proceeds through three main axes: first, the horizon of identity, contrasting “world” as the field of meaning with the “infosphere” as an informational ecosystem; second, being-with, juxtaposing Heidegger’s Mitsein with human coexistence alongside artificial agents; and third, temporality, comparing existential temporality with the dynamism of data. The study shows that Floridi’s notion of the inforg is powerful in accounting for the ecological and networked layers of identity, yet it fails to account for the horizon of meaning and temporality. Conversely, Heidegger’s Dasein can elucidate these fundamental dimensions but remains silent before the computational and networked complexities of the digital age. The outcome of this comparative analysis is a proposed “two-layered” model of identity in the digital world: the existential–hermeneutical layer preserves the horizon of meaning, while the informational–ecological layer constitutes the environment in which actions take place (the infosphere). Thus, the study seeks to provide a theoretical framework for understanding human identity in the Fourth Revolution—one that moves beyond mere data-driven reductionism and the limitations of classical existentialism, offering instead a perspective on human identity in the digital age without claiming to provide a complete or exhaustive explanation
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