What is the impact of information and communication technologies (icts) on the human condition? in order to address this question, in 2012 the european commission organized a research project entitled the onlife initiative: concept reengineering for rethinking societal concerns in the digital transition. this volume collects the work of the onlife initiative. it explores how the development and widespread use of icts have a radical impact on the human condition.icts are not mere tools but rather social forces that are increasingly affecting our self-conception (who we are), our mutual interactions (how we socialise); our conception of reality (our metaphysics); and our interactions with reality (our agency). in each case, icts have a huge ethical, legal, and political significance, yet one with which we have begun to come to terms only recently.