Author: Kayla G.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Imagine waking up from a goodnight’s rest to discover you are being turned into a cyborg.

In Donna Haraway’s “ A Cyborg Manifesto” she depicts a future cyborg where the boundaries of identity are merged. Identity markers like gender, machine, human, race, and others are dissolved into a fluid identity. These themes can be seen depicted in Janelle Monae album Dirty Computer. Throughout Janelle Monae’s album she depicts herself as Cindi Mayweather, an android in a dystopian like society where they face marginalization for not conforming to their societal view.  In the videos the album shows the android reaching self-acceptance and resistance against oppressive structures. 

Haraway’s main ideas show the pleasure in merging boundaries and taking ownership of its construction. She uses the cyborg as a metaphor for breaking down the binary world of male and female/human and machine. She is advocating for a post-gender, intersectional society. Haraway argues that society wants a cyborg to be a faithful machine that listens to its creator.They are not designed or depicted as autonomous self-moving beings. However,  the cyborg’s connections to humans makes them self-developing . Cyborg’s will evolve as a matter of survival, which can be seen as an act of liberation. One example from Haraway’s manifesto that connects to Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer is the act of destroying man through the use of machines.  

 Monáe’s Dirty Computer starts off  depicting how society tries to classify people as computers and those who were deemed different were classified as dirty. If they chose to oppose those in control they were kidnapped and “cleaned” in a  way. Monae’s computers are similar to Haraway’s  cyborg in the sense of being created to be faithful and listen to those in power. In both of these works these leaders are trying to play God.  However, both Haraway’s cyborg and Monae’s dirty computer challenge the power structures they are faced with. These beings simply want to exist without the impending boundaries of society.  In conclusion, Dirty Computer and “A Cyborg Manifesto” envision a world where beings whether man or machine can exist without boundaries of identity. Monáe’s Dirty Computers portrays marginalized voices rising against oppressive systems that strive for heteronomy. Monae’s work embodies Haraway’s vision of the cyborg as both oppressed and striving for liberation.

OpenAI. (2024). Waking up as a cyborg [AI-generated image]. DALL·E.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In Donna Haraway’s “ A Cyborg Manifesto” she depicts a future cyborg where the boundaries of identity are merged. Identity markers like gender, machine, human, race, and others are dissolved into a fluid identity. These themes can be seen depicted in Janelle Monae album Dirty Computer. Throughout Janelle Monae’s album she depicts herself as Cindi Mayweather, an android in a dystopian like society where they face marginalization for not conforming to their societal view.  In the videos the album shows the android reaching self-acceptance and resistance against oppressive structures. 

Haraway’s main ideas show the pleasure in merging boundaries and taking ownership of its construction. She uses the cyborg as a metaphor for breaking down the binary world of male and female/human and machine. She is advocating for a post-gender, intersectional society. Haraway argues that society wants a cyborg to be a faithful machine that listens to its creator.They are not designed or depicted as autonomous self-moving beings. However,  the cyborg’s connections to humans makes them self-developing . Cyborg’s will evolve as a matter of survival, which can be seen as an act of liberation. One example from Haraway’s manifesto that connects to Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer is the act of destroying man through the use of machines.  

 Monáe’s Dirty Computer starts off  depicting how society tries to classify people as computers and those who were deemed different were classified as dirty. If they chose to oppose those in control they were kidnapped and “cleaned” in a  way. Monae’s computers are similar to Haraway’s  cyborg in the sense of being created to be faithful and listen to those in power. In both of these works these leaders are trying to play God.  However, both Haraway’s cyborg and Monae’s dirty computer challenge the power structures they are faced with. These beings simply want to exist without the impending boundaries of society.  In conclusion, Dirty Computer and “A Cyborg Manifesto” envision a world where beings whether man or machine can exist without boundaries of identity. Monáe’s Dirty Computers portrays marginalized voices rising against oppressive systems that strive for heteronomy. Monae’s work embodies Haraway’s vision of the cyborg as both oppressed and striving for liberation.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In the Machinehood through the use of the various pill funders we see an example of how corporate exploitation reaches an all time peak.  In the novel, we see how giant pharmaceutical companies monopolize the production of performance-enhancing pills. To many of the workers these  pills have become essential for them to be in a hyper-competitive gig economy. In the Machinehood world,  their productivity basically determines their survival. The novel shows how these corporations have turned the capabilities of their workers into a commodity. They reduce these individuals to minuscule tools that they can simply optimize for profit through the use of drugs. This mirrors how in the present society there is a concern about the pharmaceutical industry, and the many ways it is using exorbitant pricing to monopolize human health.  These companies practice limiting access to essential medicines to the wealthy, prioritizing profits over public health. Although the pharmaceutical companies have a big impact on the distribution of drugs, so have other illegal methods. 

The examples we see of the corporate behaviors depicted in the Machinehood is somewhat hyperbolic, however, when looking at  contemporary society, the illustration in this story may not be as far-fetched as it seems.The pharmaceutical industry has been criticized for prioritizing their profits over the accessibility of medications for patients. Similarly, the opioid epidemic highlights how companies, for example Purdue Pharma, try to aggressively market addictive painkillers. This led to many people on the street trying to make and sell knock offs despite knowing their harmful effects, prioritizing profit at the expense of public health. The present day use and effects of addictive drugs makes the use of the pills in Machinehood not seem so hyperbolic. It is easy to make people addicted, and addicts will do anything for a fix. These people could easily become addicted to working simply to receive the pills.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

After learning about the many  uses of technology in present society I have seen the start of  human augmentation and the potential growth of it. In current society, if someone has something about themselves that they don’t like such as their nose, skin tone, height, etc., they can get a surgery to change it. People get procedures to augment any part of their body through the use of cosmetic surgery. Through the use of prosthetics, amputees have been able to regain mobility and use of their other limbs. In the future, I believe I will see human augmentations with AI in it. These procedures would likely enhance their prosthetic’s capabilities through the use of AI, thus giving the people almost superhuman abilities. I believe that people who can afford the procedure would likely get it. This is because many people would love to be able to do and try things they once could not. For others, we may see them getting the procedure to try to be on a leveled playing field as those who have the augmentations. 

These augmentations may be cool, however, I personally would not want to augment my body. I naturally have everything that I need and through acquisition of knowledge I can grow without have to cause modifications to my body. Although the idea of getting augmentations that could make me be stronger and able to think faster sounds nice, the reality is that with more power comes more responsibility. Any adaptation that adds additional power to people is unacceptable in my view. Many people who have power in other ways such as through money, popularity, or weaponry typically misuse and abuse groups that they view as lesser than them. In some cases, they may not even intentionally harm these individuals but they can get caught in the crossfire between them and other individuals who have equal power. These augmentations would cause another source of harm to society.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Hybridization technology would be an amazing way to advance human society in a transhumanist way. Animals have many valuable characteristics that would be able to help  humanity achieve things we could only dream of before. We would be able to soar high in the sky, explore the deep sea, or run at amazing speeds. If we had the technology to transfer characteristics from one animal to me, the animal I would choose would be a dolphin. A dolphin is one of the most intelligent mammals. They currently exhibit skills and social structures similar to what we see in people and primates. Dolphins have a great memory and are able to adapt based on given circumstances. With being a dolphin hybrid, I would be able to dive to amazing depths of the ocean and see so many things that we as man probably don’t know exist. 70% of the Earth’s ocean is unexplored, being a hybrid I would be able to explore deep reveens, abandoned ships, and unexplored caves. Being able to swim at 37 mph and play with other sea animals would be amazing. Using their echolocation I would be able to navigate around anything and anywhere. Although I want the abilities of the dolphin I wouldn’t want to look like one. I would still want my human features. With being a hybrid I would have to be mindful of others and their outlook of hybridization. Therefore, having my human characteristics and humanity intact would help minimize potential conflict. I personally wouldn’t want to give up my humanity in order to be a hybrid. I would want the hybridization to add to my capabilities not take away from it.This would occur through combining the most valuable aspects of both dolphin and human characteristics.  I believe that a dolphin’s behaviors and interactions would mimic very similar to humans.