Critical Annotated Webliography by Rachel Tang

Guiding Questions:
Cyborgs are hybrid entities that are neither wholly technological nor completely organic, which means that the cyborg has the potential not only to disrupt persistent dualisms [in language and thought] … but also to refashion our thinking’. (Balsamo). Drawing on current scholarly work, discuss ways in which the cyborg is still a transgressive figure.

Before starting to search the articles online, I have go through the reading “The Cyborg Solution” written by Judy Wajcman. So I can catch some ideas and keywords to examine for useful sources. Moreover, I have found different authors’ name and keywords from “Further Readings” for my online searches. I used the suggested search engines, Google and Google Scholar. But there are so many articles to choose after starting searches, it is difficult to go through all sources and choose some useful and relevant sources. Finally, I have taken up six articles which related to my chosen topic.

In Chris Thorp’s article, “How the Concept of the Cyborg has Changed Human Perception”, gives a point of view about the concept of the cyborg and what it means to be human. This article unlike other articles related to cyborgs, the author spotlights on the fictitious world of fictional cyborgs and how these images blur the boundaries between human and cyborg. Moreover, he believes that the distinction between human and cyborg is the human brain and the human able to show emotion. In the sharp contrast to other authors such as Scott and Hables, the author thinks that it is very common for some people who have had vaccinations and artificial limbs cyborg. At last, the author wants us to think “when do we lose our humanity” instead of “when do we (human) become cyborg”. This is a good reflective question. The concept of cyborg is helpful to study humanity and influences us to identify self.

In the article “The cyborg evolution”, which written by David Stonehouse, is talking about limitation of human and the area of cyborg push this limitation further. The article is about the development of cyborg, as said by Kevin Warwick, will inevitably happen. He is the first case of “human cyborg” to make his nervous system to computers. The body being used this way is an example of what the human body will become in the future. Being human is being intellectual, and Warwick considers that in the near future we will be able to plan intelligence to our systems. This article argues this limitation that is placed on human beings, and through reinterpretation of the body, that is including the cyborg as an element of ‘human’. So, we can redefine human nature.

In Steve Mizrach’s article, it is mainly useful to raise the issue of where the cyborg should be stopped, regardless of being in violation of certain moral standards or not, and insight into the day-to-day life when the technology will go too far. It is interesting to compare with other articles that this article has a totally different perspective. In order to ask cyborg is a good thing or not, it is not just to say that cyborg exists in modern society to admit the fact. Another point of view, the author argues that the human beings are always seeking to improve their capabilities and once we do that, it can be seen these continuing improvements as the movement in becoming a cyborg.

In Terry Dartnall’s article, “We have always been…Cyborgs”, he analyzed Andy Clark’s idea that we are cyborgs. In the course of Clynes and Kline’s[1] old-school and constrained, the author finds cyborg’s definition. He supposes that we live as cyborg because of our interdependence on technology and machinery to problem solving. In addition, our understanding of humanity has been changed in accordance with how we interact of the technology. Obviously, the human beings’ mind is always “biotechnological matrix of brain” including an infinite of “non-biological props” such as “electronic files”, mobile phones as well as “the like”[2]. Lacking of these “props” to help us in our daily lives, the system of problem solving will be confronted with many difficulties.

In the article “Haraway on our Cyborg Society” is talking about the human beings are cyborg which proposed by Donna Haraway. Technology has been regarded as a means throughout our lives change our own identity and significance. The author believes that the self is a social construct, it does not depend on body. The concept at a certain extent changed the way we think of the concept of the cyborg. Moreover, the author creates the associations between the cyborg and in this regard in society, the identity is persistently changing, particularly with the all time changing existence and development of technology. This article is clearly in line with the logic of written and full of interesting ideas. Look through the technology and its impact on the identity of the concept of cyborg is very interesting.

In Sean Carton’s article, “Are You Ready for the Cyborg Consumer?”, discusses the topics raised by Markus Giesler. He points out that technology is changing consumer behavior. For instance, iPods is not only a music player, but turn into an individual soundtrack, a storage device, saving our collected digital information, and thus, it is important for a person’s identity and well-being of people and iPods together form a cybernetic unit. This example is further evidence of hybridization, such as the internet become blurred boundaries between work and home, so that people can carry out home tasks at work and vice versa. In addition, mobile technologies, like mobile phone, let us always connected to our social and business lives no matter where we are. This growing convergence, in his view, it is impossible to separate people from technology, so that we are cyborg consumers. The ideas discussed here proved to be very useful, because it demonstrated how to make our technology even in the absence of the actual needs of cyborgs fuse metal and flesh. Finally, this article proved to be very useful to answer this guiding question because it provides us that we cannot separate from technology. Therefore, the cyborg is still a transgressive figure.

To conclude, after giving the summary of six online articles, I found that I have a clear and deep understand of cyborg. Although these online articles are written by various authors, they are all talking about on the same subject. With a minor exception in that they have their own points of view and address different issues which under the same category. Even I think it is not an easy assignment to do, I have learnt how to choose relevant, useful, related online sources through the process. My research skills also have improved.

Footnotes:

[1] Andy Clark. “Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence.” Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003, p.141.

[2] Andy Clark. “Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence.” Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003, p.149.

References:


Carton, Sean. ‘Are u ready for the cyborg consumer?’ (7 February 2005). http://clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3468651 (accessed 3 March 2009).


Dartnall, Terry. “We Have Always Been…Cyborgs” (2003). www.cis.unibo.it/pancaldi_princeton/metascience.pdf (accessed 2 March 2009).


Ellis, David. “Haraway on our Cyborg Society” (Spring 2005). http://www.cyberartsweb.org/cpace/cyborg/ellis9.html (accessed 2 March 2009).


Mizrach, Steve. “Should There be a Limit Placed on the Integration of Humans and Computers and Electronic Technology” (May 2000). http://www.fiu.edu/~mizrachs/cyborg-ethics.html (accessed 2 March 2009).


Stonehouse, David. “The Cyborg Evolution” (22 March 2003). http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/21/1047749931869.html (accessed 1 March 2009).


Thorp, Chris. “How the Concept of the Cyborg has Changed Human Perception” (2000).
http://brmovie.com/Analysis/Concept_of_the_Cyborg.htm (accessed 1 March 2009).


Clark, Andy. “Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence.” Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.