The Fourth Guiding Principle for Human in the Digital Age: An Initial Exploration and Framework Construction of Cybersophy

The accelerating transformation from industrial to digital civilization has fundamentally reshaped the epistemic, ethical, and existential conditions of human life. Traditional frameworks such as worldview, life outlook, and values—conceptualized as the “Three Guiding Principles/Views” that historically guided humanity through agricultural and industrial eras—are increasingly inadequate for addressing the unprecedented dilemmas posed by artificial intelligence, algorithmic governance, deepfakes, immersive virtual reality, and brain–computer interfaces. Against this backdrop, this paper introduces Cybersophy as the “Fourth Principle/View,” a comprehensive philosophical–practical framework designed to orient human cognition and value judgments in the digital age. Derived from the etymological fusion of Cyber (control, cyberspace) and Sophia (wisdom), Cybersophy is defined as the systematic wisdom through which humans interpret their existence in cyberspace and guide their behavior, identity, and normative commitments. The paper situates Cybersophy within the author’s broader intellectual trajectory, including prior research on Cybermatics, Cyber-Syndrome, Cyberology, Cyberlogic, Cyber-Philosophy, and Cyberism. These strands collectively provide the technical foundation, symptomatic awareness, disciplinary structuring, methodological critique, and axiological orientation that culminate in Cybersophy as a crystallization of wisdom and practice. Methodologically, the study employs comparative philosophical analysis, conceptual genealogy, and interdisciplinary integration, systematically contrasting Cybersophy with related notions such as “information-view,” “data-view,” and “intelligence-view.” This comparative framework reveals Cybersophy’s distinctive strength: its ability to encompass ontological, epistemological, ethical, and axiological dimensions of human–technology entanglement in a future-oriented, globally communicable manner. The theoretical framework of Cybersophy is articulated through four interdependent dimensions. The cognitive dimension reconceptualizes knowledge as a distributed, human–machine collaborative process, demanding critical digital literacy to counteract algorithmic manipulation and information cocoons. The ethical dimension emphasizes algorithmic justice, data rights, and “technology for good,” embedding transparency, fairness, and accountability into digital infrastructures through mechanisms such as value-sensitive design and algorithmic impact assessments. The existential dimension redefines human being as a virtual–physical fusion, addressing the challenges of digital identity multiplicity, embodied interaction in VR/AR/BCI systems, and the ethical recognition of virtual harms as socially real. The value dimension anchors digital humanism, digital well-being, and global digital citizenship, advocating for the protection of human dignity, the cultivation of balanced digital lifestyles, and the construction of inclusive governance structures for cyberspace. Building upon these dimensions, the paper constructs a multi-level research framework that translates abstract philosophy into empirical research agendas. Proposed directions include: the study of large language models’ influence on human creativity and decision-making; neurocognitive mechanisms for detecting deepfakes; algorithmic fairness across cultural contexts; data cooperatives as new ownership models; psychological interventions for virtual–real identity conflicts; and criteria for defining digital well-being. In addition, the study identifies three forward-looking engineering agendas under the guidance of Cybersophy: (1) Digital Mental-State Modulation Technologies for mitigating cyber-syndromes such as addiction and information overload; (2) Cyborg Ethics and Enhancement Limits for governing human augmentation through BCIs and gene editing; and (3) Engineering Ethics for the Metaverse, embedding fairness, safety, and interoperability in immersive digital architectures. In conclusion, Cybersophy provides a theoretical foundation and methodological compass for embedding ethics, human dignity, and global responsibility into the future trajectory of technological innovation. By advocating for cross-disciplinary collaboration among philosophers, engineers, social scientists, and the public, the paper envisions Cybersophy as a guiding framework for navigating the complexities of cyberspace and ensuring a just, sustainable, and human-centered digital future.