I have chosen guiding question 1 for this assignment. I have searched for six online sources that can help in writing an essay about guiding question 1. Those online sources can support the idea of “cyborg has the potential to disrupt persistent dualisms and refashion our thinking” and “cyborg is still a transgressive figure”.
One of the online sources is an essay on the topic "Cyberpunk: Ontology, Epistemology, and (Post-)Humanism in William Gibson's Neuromancer", written by Gustav Verhulsdonck. Starting from page 44, this essay suggests that cyborg is combined of technology and human to one form. This can cross the boundaries between self-governing machines and organisms, such as human. Nature and technology are traditionally being seen as opposite to one another. However, cyborg disrupts this dualism as it is the combination of the two. It is not only transgressing the boundaries between machines and human, but also distorting the classification of gender, race and sexuality. Therefore, cyborg has the potential to disrupt some social norms. From this essay, it can be concluded that cyborg can disrupt current dualisms. This may also lead to the refashion of human thinking. Human may need to rethink about the traditional social categories that they have in mind for many years towards human and machine, male and female and different races. For example, human may have to rethink about whether human is superior to machines. Because this online source is about cyborg disrupting persistent dualisms and transgressing social realities, this essay is useful in discussing guiding question 1.
A chapter in an online book, "Cyborg Theory and Learning" written by Vasi Van Deventer, is another useful online source. In chapter 12, it discusses about “the cyborg’s identity escapes the oppositional structure bounded by machine and organism” (Deventer, 2009, p.174). “Donna Haraway propels the identity of the cyborg beyond the dualism of machine and living organism”, so this means that cyborg is a transgressive figure. Moreover, when a human becomes a cyborg, there is a question that whether is the cyborg being human or human being cyborg. It also disrupts the dualism of true and imaginary. The identity of the person may also change since the body is not completely the person’s body. This can refashion human’s thinking about our control towards technology. People may think about the consequences that might be brought by self-governing machines. As a result, this online source can show that cyborg is a transgressive figure of machine and organism and disrupt the dualism of true and imaginary.
A chapter in another online book is called "Cyborg or Goddesses?" written by Elaine Graham. It explores how cyborg “transgresses traditional gender boundaries” in chapter 16 (Graham, p.245). Cyborg may have the appearance of a women but it “challenges the identification of women with nature” (Graham, p.245). This book also suggests that women are often “in a position of engagement with technology” and this shows that women are, generally speaking, subordinate to men (Graham, p.244). In addition, women cannot participate much in technological field. This may let people have new understandings about gender. This may encourage women to rethink about their identity. Moreover, cyborg is a transgressive figure for many dualisms, such as human and machine, human and nature. Although cyborg can inspire people to rethink about the traditional ideas, a long time is also needed for people to change their thinking since traditional dualisms have been in people’s mind for maybe more than million years. As a result, this online source can support the idea that cyborg can refashion people’s thinking and it is still a transgressive figure.
The essay "Future Noir", written by Jamaluddin Bin Aziz is also helpful for answering guiding question 1. This essay discusses the fragmented identity of gender due to cyborg and cyberpunk. Since men can participate in technology field more, they would try to express “dominantly male world view” (Aziz, 2005, p.2) by using female cyborg figure. There is an important idea that is brought out by this essay, which is if I support the idea that cyborg is a transgressive figure, this means the boundaries between male and female will be dissolved and there should be no distinction between the two. This essay can answer why there is female cyborg when cyborg is a transgressive figure. It suggests that the gender of a cyborg can be shown by the foreground in a cyberpunk, its appearance and personality. However, the nature of a female human cannot be found in a female cyborg. People may rethink about the oppressed female cyborg figure that is represented in cyberpunk. Another question is that whether men is necessary the dominant in technology field. This essay can show that cybrog can disrupt dualism of gender. Therefore, this is one of the online sources that I have chosen for answering guiding question 1.
Furthermore, I have found the essay "Being Cyborgs: On Creating Humanity in a Created World of Technology", written by Taede A. Smedes. It suggests that there are dualisms of “mind and body”, “mind and world”, “thing-in-itself and thing-as-appearance”, “realism and idealism” (Smedes, 2005, p.2, p.5). Cyborg can change our worldviews on these aspects. People perceive others and the whole world through the appearances of the objects. Cyborg can transgress the connection between “mind and body“or “mind and world” (Smedes, 2005, p.2). For example, a blind man uses a stick to help him sense the outside world. The stick is an extension from his body, so the stick is sending message to his brain indirectly. The boundary of “realism and idealism” is blurred because of cyborg (Smedes, 2005, p.2). Realism emphasizes the world and would be “influenced by some kind of representationlism” (Smedes, 2005, p.5). However, a cyborg as realism has the ability not to be affected by the outside. As a result, it maintains its idealism. In addition, cyborg also disrupts the boundary between “object and human”. This essay suggests that “as an object, it is the kind of thing we can have thoughts about”, but a cyborg can think and react to the world, so cyborg transgresses the boundary between objects and human (Smedes, 2005, p.4).
Last but not least, the essay "Abject Cyborg Women" also contains ideas that can support the statement in guiding question 1. First, this essay points out that “cyborg does not respect boundaries” (Abject Cyborg Women, p.5). It is because a female cyborg is in a form of masculine body. The appearance looks like a male but in fact the cyborg is a female cyborg. Second, this essay suggests that human have to put away their identity “in order to enter in to this symbiotic relationship with the machine” (Abject Cyborg Women, p.10). It means that a person’s thought can extend out of his or her own body and to the Internet. Cyborg is transgressing one’s mind out of the human body.
One of the online sources is an essay on the topic "Cyberpunk: Ontology, Epistemology, and (Post-)Humanism in William Gibson's Neuromancer", written by Gustav Verhulsdonck. Starting from page 44, this essay suggests that cyborg is combined of technology and human to one form. This can cross the boundaries between self-governing machines and organisms, such as human. Nature and technology are traditionally being seen as opposite to one another. However, cyborg disrupts this dualism as it is the combination of the two. It is not only transgressing the boundaries between machines and human, but also distorting the classification of gender, race and sexuality. Therefore, cyborg has the potential to disrupt some social norms. From this essay, it can be concluded that cyborg can disrupt current dualisms. This may also lead to the refashion of human thinking. Human may need to rethink about the traditional social categories that they have in mind for many years towards human and machine, male and female and different races. For example, human may have to rethink about whether human is superior to machines. Because this online source is about cyborg disrupting persistent dualisms and transgressing social realities, this essay is useful in discussing guiding question 1.
A chapter in an online book, "Cyborg Theory and Learning" written by Vasi Van Deventer, is another useful online source. In chapter 12, it discusses about “the cyborg’s identity escapes the oppositional structure bounded by machine and organism” (Deventer, 2009, p.174). “Donna Haraway propels the identity of the cyborg beyond the dualism of machine and living organism”, so this means that cyborg is a transgressive figure. Moreover, when a human becomes a cyborg, there is a question that whether is the cyborg being human or human being cyborg. It also disrupts the dualism of true and imaginary. The identity of the person may also change since the body is not completely the person’s body. This can refashion human’s thinking about our control towards technology. People may think about the consequences that might be brought by self-governing machines. As a result, this online source can show that cyborg is a transgressive figure of machine and organism and disrupt the dualism of true and imaginary.
A chapter in another online book is called "Cyborg or Goddesses?" written by Elaine Graham. It explores how cyborg “transgresses traditional gender boundaries” in chapter 16 (Graham, p.245). Cyborg may have the appearance of a women but it “challenges the identification of women with nature” (Graham, p.245). This book also suggests that women are often “in a position of engagement with technology” and this shows that women are, generally speaking, subordinate to men (Graham, p.244). In addition, women cannot participate much in technological field. This may let people have new understandings about gender. This may encourage women to rethink about their identity. Moreover, cyborg is a transgressive figure for many dualisms, such as human and machine, human and nature. Although cyborg can inspire people to rethink about the traditional ideas, a long time is also needed for people to change their thinking since traditional dualisms have been in people’s mind for maybe more than million years. As a result, this online source can support the idea that cyborg can refashion people’s thinking and it is still a transgressive figure.
The essay "Future Noir", written by Jamaluddin Bin Aziz is also helpful for answering guiding question 1. This essay discusses the fragmented identity of gender due to cyborg and cyberpunk. Since men can participate in technology field more, they would try to express “dominantly male world view” (Aziz, 2005, p.2) by using female cyborg figure. There is an important idea that is brought out by this essay, which is if I support the idea that cyborg is a transgressive figure, this means the boundaries between male and female will be dissolved and there should be no distinction between the two. This essay can answer why there is female cyborg when cyborg is a transgressive figure. It suggests that the gender of a cyborg can be shown by the foreground in a cyberpunk, its appearance and personality. However, the nature of a female human cannot be found in a female cyborg. People may rethink about the oppressed female cyborg figure that is represented in cyberpunk. Another question is that whether men is necessary the dominant in technology field. This essay can show that cybrog can disrupt dualism of gender. Therefore, this is one of the online sources that I have chosen for answering guiding question 1.
Furthermore, I have found the essay "Being Cyborgs: On Creating Humanity in a Created World of Technology", written by Taede A. Smedes. It suggests that there are dualisms of “mind and body”, “mind and world”, “thing-in-itself and thing-as-appearance”, “realism and idealism” (Smedes, 2005, p.2, p.5). Cyborg can change our worldviews on these aspects. People perceive others and the whole world through the appearances of the objects. Cyborg can transgress the connection between “mind and body“or “mind and world” (Smedes, 2005, p.2). For example, a blind man uses a stick to help him sense the outside world. The stick is an extension from his body, so the stick is sending message to his brain indirectly. The boundary of “realism and idealism” is blurred because of cyborg (Smedes, 2005, p.2). Realism emphasizes the world and would be “influenced by some kind of representationlism” (Smedes, 2005, p.5). However, a cyborg as realism has the ability not to be affected by the outside. As a result, it maintains its idealism. In addition, cyborg also disrupts the boundary between “object and human”. This essay suggests that “as an object, it is the kind of thing we can have thoughts about”, but a cyborg can think and react to the world, so cyborg transgresses the boundary between objects and human (Smedes, 2005, p.4).
Last but not least, the essay "Abject Cyborg Women" also contains ideas that can support the statement in guiding question 1. First, this essay points out that “cyborg does not respect boundaries” (Abject Cyborg Women, p.5). It is because a female cyborg is in a form of masculine body. The appearance looks like a male but in fact the cyborg is a female cyborg. Second, this essay suggests that human have to put away their identity “in order to enter in to this symbiotic relationship with the machine” (Abject Cyborg Women, p.10). It means that a person’s thought can extend out of his or her own body and to the Internet. Cyborg is transgressing one’s mind out of the human body.
In conclusion, the online sources mainly suggest that cyborg is a transgressive figure. Also, cyborg disrupts persistent dualisms, including “machine and organism”, “male and female”, “mind and body” and many other dualisms. As a result, the six online sources that I found are useful for writing an essay on guiding question 1.
References
“Abject Cyborg Women”, <http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/ati/Monsters/M6/shaw%20paper.pdf>, 28 Feb 2009.
Aziz, Jamaluddin Bin, “Future Noir”, <http://www.crimeculture.com/Contents/Articles-Summer05/JemAziz1.html>, 2005, 28 Feb 2009.
Deventer, Vasi Van, “Cyborg Theory and Learning”, <http://books.google.com/books?hl=zh-TW&lr=&id=E3z5bfkO4ywC&oi=fnd&pg=PA167&dq=cyborg+dualism&ots=RujGABfYPY&sig=_NNVTZdxuknv9DQ7B2fNHhkq7iY#PPA167,M1>, 2009, 28 Feb 2009.
Deventer, Vasi Van, Ed. Steve Wheeler, “Cyborg Theory and Learning”, Connected Minds Emerging Cultures, 2009, Information Age Publishing, 167-183.
Graham, Elaine, “Cyborg or Goddesses?", <http://books.google.com/books?hl=zh-TW&lr=&id=E7bFPuzYbYEC&oi=fnd&pg=PA238&dq=cyborg+dualism&ots=eU5b1hpHG7&sig=O3UkQuvp95u0Zf1hlafvqzspejs#PPA238,M1> ,28 Feb 2009.
Graham, Elaine, Ed. Eileen Green , Alison Adam, “Cyborg or Goddesses?”, Virtual Gender: Technology, Consumption and Identity 238-254 .
Smedes, Taede A., “Being Cyborgs: On Creating Humanity in a Created World of Technology”, <http://www.tasmedes.nl/Documents/Smedes_Cyborg_ESSSAT.pdf>, 2005, 28 Feb 2009.
Verhulsdonck, Gustav, “Cyberpunk: Ontology, Epistemology, and (Post-)Humanism in William Gibson’s Neuromancer” <http://web.nmsu.edu/~gustav/thesis.pdf>, May 2002, 28 Feb 2009.
Hi, I've just read your webliography and find it very concise. You have clearly stated the viewpoints of those articles and have linked the question tightly. I think those articles are useful to grasp the concept of "cyborg".
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the first article is the most in general and easy to understand which allows a beginner to have a preliminary impression of the argument about cyborgs and dualism.
In my opinion, the 2nd, 3rd 5th articles are more in-depth to illustrate "cyborg as a transgressive figure" that "disrupts dualisms".
Haha.. We have read the same article(the 5th one). I find it quite interesting as it uses the example of "the blind man with a stick". The example is very close to cyborgs, which depicts the relationship between object and worldview, indirectly reflecting "cyborg as a transgressive figure".
All in all, it's a good job but if the wordings could be more simplified, that would be better!