Webliography Q.2

2. Webliography

“ From Frankestein to Visible Human Project, the body is continually reinterpreted as a limit what it means to be human”

From Mary Shelley’s science fiction novel Frankenstein to the Visible Human Project is evident that the society has already for a long time been fascinated by the limits of humaness. However, I feel that it is a discussion which has been reserved mainly for the people of special interest such as medicine or other advanced technologies. Therefore it is interesting to note that themes like post humanism and cyborgs have become relevant to us all, as the culture is slowly adapting more and more digitalised ways of life. The five articles I’m going to be reviewing, essentially argue that limits humaness are questioned and reinterpret in many different ways. For example one of my readings state that the traditional boundaries between the ‘natural’ and the ‘artificial’ seem to be obscuring.(Ozay, 2007) I would like to develop the distinction between artificial and natural in my essay, and examine it through some interesting examples found through my research.

Sam Ozay’s blog[1] works as a great introductory text, when starting the discussion on post humanism and cyborgs. He reviews many acclaimed works on this field, such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto. He also mentions an Australian performance artist Stellarc, who “makes use of new technologies to enhance the capabilities and durability of the human body.”(Ozay 2007) Ozay argues that artists such as him do not seem to concern themselves with the question what it is to be a human in opposition to those who believe that humans are a composition of mind, body and soul. I think this argument could lead my discussion through my essay, as it is evident that the cybernetics, biotechnology and nanotechnoloy hold countless possibilities for human race, but at the same time cause serious concern of the ethics and boundaries of humanism.

Andy Miah’s article critically assesses Prof. Gunter Von Hagen’s exhibition ‘Body Worlds’ and the public autopsy made in the UK in 2002. [2] Miah criticises the public autopsy and the whole concept of ‘Body Worlds’ claiming that it had missed its educational purpose by making the event commercial and grotesque. Even if the autopsy was supposed to bring people closer with modern medical procedures, it was “presented as 19th century’s freak show, and broadcasted as a prime time reality television.” (Miah 2003) The article interested me especially through my personal experience of the ‘Body World’ Exhibition, and I think that it would offer an interesting point of view regarding the discussion of humanness and the value of human body after death. Does being human stop when we die, and what is the relationship between humans and their bodies? Miah describes this relationship intriguingly; “the transformation of the body…inside out by von Hagens provided a means for re-engaging with our subdued curiosity about identifying what is grotesque about being human…”(Miah 2003) In addition, it would be interesting to compare von Hagen’s ‘performance’ with the Visible Human Project.

A chapter in ‘Cyborg Citizen’ tells a fascinating story about two university students, who live their lives as cyborgs.[3] They literally have computers attached to them, and through these ‘wearable computers’ they are in constant connection to the internet. In Gray’s words; “their senses are simultaneously accessed in both worlds.”(Gray 2001, p.9) Gray talks about an era in which machines are becoming real extensions of our ‘organic’ human bodies. It would be interesting to examine the idea of machines and humans intertwining, based on Gray’s arguments such as “soon it will be impossible to tell where human ends and machine starts.”(Gray 2001, p.9) Gray’s essay concentrates on the social contradictions that post human possibilities cause in different organizations, such as cyborgologists and the Church. I feel that this chapter from Gray’s book would work as relevant for my discussion concerning the interpretation and prejudices of human and machine in the modern society.

Continuing the theme introduced above, I would use the next article I am reviewing as a source for deepening my research on post humanism. Nick Bostrom’s essay gives an overwhelming scenario of what it would be like to be a post human.[4] Defining post humanism as “ being as one who has capacities ( in health, emotion or cognition) in a degree unattainable by any current human being unaided by new technology,”(Bostrom 2005, p.6) he argues that being post human would be a very good thing. He claims that many post human qualities, such as better health and higher intelligence, are already desirable in the society. It would be useful to look at Bostrom’s description of post humanist qualities and think how they match those desires and values we already have regarding our bodies. Bostrom’s essay examines the concept of post humanism excessively, and he seems to be passionate about his subject. I think his essay and possibly also other material on his website would provide a good basis for developing an argument of for example the already existing desires to become a post human.

When talking about the limits of humanness, it would also be relevant to consider online communities and the graphical ‘avatar’ embodiments in virtual worlds. Paul McIlvenny’s essay focuses on the relations between identity and embodiment in intercultural cyberspace.[5] It is important to think that while virtual world are a form of human communication, it does not happen in the visual form of one self. This raises several important questions, which are demonstrated in McIlvenny’s essay. For example, do race, gender and nationality become insignificant when one represent him/herself as a virtual avatar? Furthermore, one might ask how the embodiment shapes one’s identity and social interactions with other similarly embodied. McIlvenny examines these questions by including some extracts from online communication between the participants and suggests that it is common that the online players want to resemble something different compared to their offline identities. I feel that McIlvenny’s essay would be useful in thinking the possible changes that the cyberspace and online communities have created in relation to humanness and how virtual reality is pushing the limits of humanness.

After reviewing my five articles, I find that there is a certain genre of literature, which has not yet reached to level of popular culture. However, all of the themes and arguments raised from the readings relate or are starting to relate to the everyday life of humans. From the Body Worlds to Avatars I feel that there are so many aspects on this discussion but in the end, it is nevertheless evident that wether we want to or not, we may find ourselves in “a submissive position in the virtual world, in which we have no choice but to allow technology to determine the fate of human behaviour and its ultimate existence.” (Ozay 2007)



References


Ozay, Sam (2007) ‘Cyborgs: Post human futures.’ Log A Blog (21st September 2007)
http://samoz.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/cyborgs-posthuman-futures/
(accessed 26th August 2008)


Miah, Andy (2003) ‘Dead bodies for the Masses: The British Autopsy& The Aftermath.’ http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=363
(accessed 22nd August 2008)


Gray, Chris H. (2001) ‘The possibilities of Post humanism’ in Cyborg citizen: Politics in the Post human Age, Routledge, London pp. 9-12
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2Mw5srL_bAUC&printsec=toc&dq=posthuman&lr=&output=html&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
(accessed 22nd August 2008)

Bostrom, Nick (2006) ‘Why I want to be a post human when I grow up’ pp.1-25
http://www.nickbostrom.com/posthuman.pdf
(accessed 26th August 2008)

McIlvenny, Paul (1999) ‘Avatars R Us? Discourses of Community and Embodiment in Intercultural Cyberspace’ Journal of Intercultural Communication Vol. 1
http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr1/mcilvenny.htm
(accessed 27th August 2008)









[1] http://samoz.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/cyborgs-posthuman-futures/

[2] http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=363

[3]http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2Mw5srL_bAUC&printsec=toc&dq=posthuman&lr=&output=html&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0

[4] http://www.nickbostrom.com/posthuman.pdf

[5] http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr1/mcilvenny.htm