Digital Hermeneutics: From Historical Evolution to the Redefining of Existential Concepts in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abdollahpour Sangchi, Fatemeh; Rahnamaei, Hossein; Asgariyazdi, Ali; Rezaee, Mehran

doi:10.30487/cph.2026.2076570.1056

Digital Hermeneutics: From Historical Evolution to the Redefining of Existential Concepts in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fatemeh Abdollahpour sangchi ¹

Hossein Rahnamaei ²

Ali Asgariyazdi ³

Mehran Rezaee ⁴

¹ PhD student in the theoretical foundations of Islam, University of Tehran

² Assistant Professor, Faculty of Islamic Thought and Education, University of Tehran

³ Full Professor, Faculty of Islamic Thought and Education, University of Tehran

⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar

10.30487/cph.2026.2076570.1056

Abstract

The rapid developments in artificial intelligence in recent decades have raised fundamental questions about the relationship between “understanding” and “meaning” in the digital context. Using a descriptive-analytical method and an interdisciplinary approach, this article examines the relationship between the historical development of artificial intelligence and digital hermeneutics, and shows that the concept of “understanding” has been redefined many times in the course of the growth of this technology; from formal computation and symbolism to machine learning, neural networks, and large-scale language models. Alongside this historical review, hermeneutic and theological analysis makes it clear that artificial intelligence, despite its ability to reproduce text and identify semantic patterns, lacks lived experience, historical horizon, and existential intention. Accordingly, the demarcation between “instrumental efficiency” and “existential understanding” is considered a fundamental necessity for explaining the place of artificial intelligence in the digital age. This article shows that digital hermeneutics can provide a platform for critical dialogue between new technologies and philosophical and religious traditions, thereby helping to rethink fundamental existential and epistemological concepts.

Keywords

Artificial intelligence

digital hermeneutics

interpretation

existential concepts

philosophy of technology

Subjects