Author: Kaitlyn M.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Image of cyborg in a ruffled pink apron in a kitchen. This image was generated with the help of Artifical Intelligence using NightCafe Creator.

By Kaitlyn Murray

In Cyborg Manifesto, Donna Haraway imagines cyborgs as an entity transcending traditional human, animal, and machine boundaries. The cyborg is not locked down to societial pressures of gender and race, yielding a fluid and flexible identity. In Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe tells the story of Jane 57821 a “dirty computer” that struggles as she attempts to break free from societal norms and expectations.

In the song, “So Afraid,” a song on the Dirty Computer album, Monáe switches all the traditional roles of animal, male, female, and child. She begins the song by saying:

“all the kids run around

playing free and fun

While the dogs lap around the can

Falling down, climbing trees, swiming in the river”

Monáe gives imagery to this radical posthumanism idea, where the cyborg exists in this state of hybridity where the conventional boundaries of human and animal, nautral and artifical are challenged. She embraces the intersectionality of technology, human, and animal, giving way to this idea of the advancement of technology creating a space of liberty for new forms of existence that transcends society’s label. This aligns with Haraway’s cyborg—a symbol of fluidity and hybridity, where binaries and boundaries are dismantled to yield to expansive forms of being.

Monáe then says:

“Daughters sharpen their knives

and they hunt for food

Others watch their children grow”

Much like Haraway’s cyborg, Monáe’s characters use their non-conformity as a tool of liberation. She switches the gender roles as usually the man hunt for food and the women take care of the children. However, in this new world Monáe created, they are rejecting this patriarchal structure as they refuse to abide by the norms. Additionally, her word usage for those of a male gender as “other” illustrates Monáe’s characters reclaiming their own power and embracing their “dirtiness,” as percieved by those who give power to predetermined categories. This is similar to how Haraway’s cyborg challenges the systems that seek to control them.

In conclusion, Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto envisions a world where the rejection of binaries and the embracing of complexity can lead to a reconstruction of society’s systems. Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer deeply resonates with Haraway’s themes, particularly in the exploration of fluid identities and the resistance to oppressive societal norms. Both works challenge traditional notions of identity, embracing the power of non-conformity, and envision technology as both a site of control and a space for liberation. As robot useage increases, with MIT enginners replacing chefs with robots and house-cleaning-robots, the distinction between “men’s jobs” and “women’s jobs” begins to fade. In a world where machines hold no gender, could this spark a new wave of feminism and liberation for women? How might the future of gender roles shift as technology continues to reshape the workforce? In the future, could we see ourselves living out Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto and witnessing the imagery Monáe evokes in “So Afraid”?

Works Cited:

Hitti, N. (2018, May 22). MIT engineers replace chefs with machines at “world’s first” robotic kitchen [Review of MIT engineers replace chefs with machines at “world’s first” robotic kitchen]. Dezeen.com; Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2018/05/22/mit-engineers-replace-chefs-with-machines-in-worlds-first-robotic-kitchen/

Donna Haraway. (1985). 1985. Haraway, A Cyborg Manifesto. Science, Technology, And Socialist Feminism. In Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/1985.-haraway-a-cyborg-manifesto.-science-technology-and-socialist-feminism

D’Souza, A. (2021, April 15). Cleaning Robots Helps in Cleaning the Floor and Lawn. KBV Research Blog; KBV Research. https://www.kbvresearch.com/blog/cleaning-robots-helps-cleaning-floor-and-lawn/

Janelle Monáe. (2018). So Afraid [Song]. On Dirty Computer. Atlantic Records.

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Author Kaitlyn Murray

William Gibson’s Neuromancer and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner explore posthumanism, questioning what it means to be human as technology increasingly integrates with human life. Posthumanism challenges rethinking what it means to be human in a world where technology and flesh are merging, past the traditional image of human. In both works, the loss of humanity through technological enhancements is a central theme.

In Neuromancer, Molly Millions is the epitome of the blurred line between human and cyborg. Her cybernetic implants, including augmented eyes and retractable razor claws, enhance her abilities beyond human limits. Molly’s augmented eyes allowed her to see with more precision and a broader range of frequencies than a natural human. These enhancements allowed her reflexes to be sharper.  Additionally, Molly’s mirrored lenses made it impossible for others to see where she was looking or read her emotions. Lastly, Molly’s retractable claws made her lethal in close combat.

Molly’s fusion of flesh with machines reinforces Molly’s hybrid not so human-like nature because although her implants make her more powerful, they also alienate her from humanity. Additionally, the mirrored lenses obscuring her emotions, the ignoring of pain, and the act of Molly desensitizing herself and becoming a “meat puppet” to help pay for her technological advancements further underscores her loss of humanity in the pursuit of technological advancement.

In Blade Runner, the replicants look like and act like humans, however, are treated inferior to humans, highlighting the loss of humanity when beings capable of genuine feeling are denied their rights and personhood. For instance, Rachael, a replicant, poses an interesting question to Rick Deckard, a blade runner: “Would you put a human into ‘retirement’ (death)? Blade Runners dehumanize replicants as they with ease eliminate technological beings perceived as less than human. Rachael asking questions about life and death illustrates the moral complexities of replicants being human in their emotions and in their experiences.

Additionally, the replicant’s possession of implanted human memories emphasizes the theme of the loss of humanity through technology. Human Personhood and Identity are lost in Blade Runner as one’s deepest memories are not their own anymore.  Also, these artificial memories distort the replicant’s sense of individuality and personal identity.

Both Neuromancer and Blade Runner warn us of all of the implications of technology on our understanding of what it means to be human. We are already walking into a world similar to science fiction as humanoids are already among us as Elon Musk introduced Optimus performing simple tasks. As well as Morgan Stanley estimating that by 2040, the US may have 8 million working humanoid robots. As we integrate more with technology, we face similar challenges about identity and what it means to be human. As we continue the pursuit of technological innovation, will we move further and further from our traditional concept of humanity or learn from the books before us?

Works Cited:

Humanoid Helpers of the Future | Morgan Stanley. (2024). Morgan Stanley. https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/humanoid-robot-market-outlook-2024

‌McCallum, S. (2022, October 1). Tesla boss Elon Musk presents humanoid robot Optimus. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63100636

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