2. ‘The machine/organism relationships are obsolete, unnecessary’ writes Haraway.
In what ways have our relations to machines been theorised?
John Schueller, Malini. “Analogy and (white) feminist theory: Thinking race and the color of the cyborg body” Retrieved on 10th March 2011
<https://filer.case.edu/dav/atv5/Cyborg%20Body.pdf>
Summary
This paper was mainly focus on the relationship between cyborg and the race problem. The writer of this paper tried to explain the subject with using quote of Haraway. At the paper, the writer thought what could be the factors that were composed between cyborg and race were women and the color of their skins. She then sum up with a conclusion that there was no actual relationship between them. In one way that some said cyborg was explaining the boundaries of human and technology, the skin of a cyborg representing the idea of humanness rather than representing a racist. But the writer quote from Haraway words,“race, gender, and capital require a cyborg theory of wholes and parts” (Haraway 1991, 181) This is more like the stand of the writer than explaining they have no relationship.
In my own, the skin is an important element in a theory of cyborg. What make the difference between human and machine was that machine was created by human. Skin gives them an outstanding look to pretend to look like more pro human. Sometimes the color of the skin of the cyborg may represent the status of the function of cyborg.
Davis-Floyd, Robbie. “Cyborg babies: from techno-sex to techno-tots” retrieved on 10th March 2011
<http://www.google.com/books?hl=zh-TW&lr=&id=7GNFSgwG1KgC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1951&dq=cyborg&ots=9bd5ZcL9Ch&sig=ALp7lW42pCe3Fs0GIpn8HbAZWz8#v=onepage&q&f=false>
Summary
This is an introduction part of a published book. While the whole book did not include full of the text all about cyborg, but the front part of the paper did had some research on the cyborg. So, the reason why made the writer to be so interest in this topic was the film production industry of the United State. He found that there are lots of science fiction movies out there such as the Terminator. He then inspired a question that there were tube babies, babies that were formed by an unnatural ways. In this sense, babies will not be just babies anymore, they are the combination of science and human, matched with the theory of cyborg.
Since the babies were born by the artificial method. I agreed that the writer views on cyborg. Now cyborg was not only acquired but also inborn. Which these kind of babies do not have mechanic body or organs, but with changeable DNA and germs. All these are managed by the technologies. So the boundaries between human and machine are being burred. One special feature of the term human is the uniqueness of being the only one. Once babies could be form by choosing germs, the uniqueness seems to be ironic to say they are simply human.
Haraway, Donna. "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century," retrieved on 10th March 2011
<http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Haraway/CyborgManifesto.html>
Summary
This is a research paper from Donna Haraway which was discussing the theory of cyborg. In the paper, the writer insisted that we, the human were cyborgs. It was us to put imaginary and reality to be combined. We gave cyborgs meanings, guiding their appearances, and forming rules. So, it was irony to try to separate us and the technology. We were making tools for ourselves to living better. The writer also questioned about the construction and deconstruction of the cyborg. This theory is the intimate experience of boundaries.
In our daily lives, we are benefited by the technology. For example, we use machines to make the task done. Such as we drive a car to get far way. In sense, we created the car and while we get on the car. We are one part of this machine to get well work. Without us, there is no meaning and purposes for the car. So, is there a combination of human and machine? Defiantly yes, and this is what we called a form of cyborg.
Warwick, Kevin. “Cyborg morals, cyborg values, cyborg ethics” retrieved on 10th March 2011
<http://archlab.gmu.edu/people/rparasur/Documents/Warwickcyborg.pdf>
Summary
This paper tried to discuss the moral, values and ethics of the cyborg. The writer thought that cyborg had some kind of linking with the human background, it reflect our lives. So, the values, moral and the ethics are reflecting our history, our ways of thinking. That’s mean it was not an absolute to say rather it is wrong or true. It depends on the history of your own. The writer also questioned about nowadays could cyborg can be avoided. Which the technology nowadays was improved a lot, could we “upgrade” to be a cyborg?
This is a funny question that it seemed cyborg could not be avoided in the future. Actually, we are all cyborg for now. Cyborg may not be tight with the sense of embodiment. What we see in science fiction films was just a one form of the cyborg. Cyborg could be explained by the unnatural power or abilities of what human can’t do. Let say the mobile phone. With this, we can communicate with others for a far distance through the network. This is not an inborn ability of our human. It’s the technology turned us to be powerful.
David Bell,Barbara M. Kennedy. “The cybercultures reader” retrieved on 10th March 2011
<http://www.google.com/books?hl=zh-TW&lr=&id=MKtr_svfY1kC&oi=fnd&pg=PA374&dq=cyborg&ots=9erynT5dGE&sig=b8POYuESFK0suqSIYT0g0T6mAQk#v=onepage&q=cyborg&f=false>
Summary
This is an online book which the writer had divided into nine parts, the approaching cyberculture, the popular cyberculture, cybercultures, cyberfeminism, cybersexual, cyberbodies, post cyberbodies, scaling cyberbodies and cybercolnoization. Whilt each frame of the part was writing on different aspect and by different writers. They grouped the idea to from a title, the cyborg. It aimed to found out the ways that the culture of cyborg was being experienced and imaged. The writer thought we had a close relationship with the communicating technology for now, we can easily get information from the internet. The accessible information is the transformation of cyborg.
May be the writer want to focus on the relation between cyborg, human, and technology. In a level extent to the technology that it would not turn human into cyborg, I think internet is a reasonable element to justify whether we are cyborg or not. Internet is a database of information that we could use only one click for tones of information. Now we say information is power, so we are make use of these information to achieve in our daily lives.
Reference
John Schueller, Malini. “Analogy and (white) feminist theory: Thinking race and the color of the cyborg body” Retrieved on 10th March 2011 <https://filer.case.edu/dav/atv5/Cyborg%20Body.pdf>
Davis-Floyd, Robbie. “Cyborg babies: from techno-sex to techno-tots” retrieved on 10th March 2011 <http://www.google.com/books?hl=zh-TW&lr=&id=7GNFSgwG1KgC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1951&dq=cyborg&ots=9bd5ZcL9Ch&sig=ALp7lW42pCe3Fs0GIpn8HbAZWz8#v=onepage&q&f=false>
Haraway, Donna. "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century," retrieved on 10th March 2011 <http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Haraway/CyborgManifesto.html>
Warwick, Kevin. “Cyborg morals, cyborg values, cyborg ethics” retrieved on 10th March 2011 <http://archlab.gmu.edu/people/rparasur/Documents/Warwickcyborg.pdf>
David Bell,Barbara M. Kennedy. “The cybercultures reader” retrieved on 10th March 2011 <http://www.google.com/books?hl=zh-TW&lr=&id=MKtr_svfY1kC&oi=fnd&pg=PA374&dq=cyborg&ots=9erynT5dGE&sig=b8POYuESFK0suqSIYT0g0T6mAQk#v=onepage&q=cyborg&f=false>
By Zack Wong
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