Critical Annotated Webliography

Karmela Smud
Question 2

In many cases such as Frankenstein and the Visible Human Project the boundaries between man and machine have grown increasingly thin as our society becomes more technologically advanced. Along with the improvements that these advances will bring forth there are also many negative impacts that will arise. The following sources provide an in depth view of the link between technology and humans and the implications that it has upon our society.


Hayles wrote a piece How We Became Posthuman which discusses the implications of posthumanism and the fears that are inevitably linked to the term. She confers the apprehension that is faced when presented with the idea of the human race becoming ‘displaced’ and in turn run by the very machines that man has created. Hayles also points out many human characteristics and complexities that cannot be attained through technological advances. Another issue throughout this piece is the human path of natural progression throughout history, which touches upon what makes a human human, and the biological evolution that makes society what it is today.

McCrackens article Cyborg Fictions is based on Donna Harraway’s ‘Cyborg Manifesto’. He discusses how the relationship between technology and human beings is growing increasingly complicated and the growing terror with the idea of human beings no longer being the dominant life form. Identity is a large issue in this text and he presents it as something that is very much intermingled with machines because practically every person is now, to some extent, a cyborg. Furthermore he states that our technological advances reflect the society in which we live while also, in a sense, creating many global and cultural effects upon us and changing the environment as we know it. McCracken also expresses his belief that the cyborg phenomenon has become both a socialist and economic movement. Our imaginations have grown as well as the possibilities we are presented with due to modern day technology, which in turn is making the barrier between the corporeal being and technology hazier as we speak.

Moravec speaks of the evolution of human beings in the text The Senses Have No Future and how the need to have senses is slowly becoming obsolete due to artificial prostheses and computerized enhancements as a result of mind boggling technological advances. He takes a scientific approach in explaining certain types of artificial implements which are now available to the public in its quest for perfection. Our world is becoming infiltrated by computers and digitized robots which in turn leave humans with one option: either become a type of ‘intelligent machine’ or be pushed into the outskirts of contemporary society and in the end become redundant. We live in an era of optimization and efficiency and this is due to the fact that our world is almost seamlessly linked to the cyber world and the division between man and computer is rapidly becoming harder to detect as time goes by. He emphasizes the decline in the amount of time humans spend actually experiencing life on their own without technological aid and how our senses have dulled as a result.

Simpson's article in the Harvard Human Rights Journal discusses Francis Fukuyama’s book ‘Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution.’ which mirrors his view that in this day and age biotechnology needs to be monitored and restrained so no harm is caused upon the human race as we know it. With all of the advancements in mechanical know-how many ethical questions have been raised as to where the boundary between man and machine lie and the problems that could arise if we are not careful in the way these inventions are implemented within our society. Fukuyama believes that human nature is at risk of being irrevocably altered and even goes as far as to say “We want to protect the full range of our complex, evolved natures against attempts at self-modification. We do not want to disrupt either the unity or the continuity of human nature, and thereby the human rights that are based on it.” The opinion expressed in this text focuses on how biotechnology has a new imaginative quality that could be very easily linked with science fiction since it has such an air of surrealism. It also delves into the repercussions biotechnology is having on today’s society and the consequences it will surely have if a system for regulation is not created.

Waldby's site on The Visible Human Project gives an overview of what exactly the Visible Human Project is and relates both technical aspects, such as the process used to record the cadaver, to more ethical issues concerning the morality of dissecting a corpse and transforming it entirely into data which can be manipulated and transformed an infinite number of times. This medical marvel, like many others, has created a great deal of controversy due to its inventive approach in understanding the human anatomy. Due to the Visible Human Project we are now able to view and maneuver flesh that has been turned into data as we see fit yet this raises many concerns regarding the relationship between ‘technology and the body’. To what extent we are willing to go, in contemporary society, is an issue with countless ramifications on civilization as we know it.



These sources enable one to grasp the technical side of the integration between humans and technology as well as the negative aspects that may come along with it. All in all in today’s society we are undeniably linked to the cyber world in an almost seamless manner and as humans we need to understand the implications of this phenomenon that has turned into a way of life.