My Critical Annotated Webliography

Guiding Question:
Cyborgs are hybrid entities that are neither wholly technological nor completely prganic, which means that the cyborg has the potential not only to disrupt persistent dualism [in language and thought] ... but also to refashion our thinking’. (Balsamo). Drawing on current scholarly work, discuss ways in which the cyborg is still a transgressive figure.

Cyborg is a creation of both man and machine, its concept lies within a gray area, or blurred boundaries. Considering the guiding question, one way to approach the question is to research on the current cyborg phenomenon and see in what ways the cyborg is still a transgressive figure under the current cyborg phenomenon.

“Should there be a limit placed on the integration of humans and computers and electronic technology?” by Steve Mizrach
First, it is important to define cyborg and why it would be considered a transgressive figure. As mentioned in this article, cyborg can be depicted as “[this being was] a sort of hybrid, a mesh of flesh and steel, neurons and wires, blood and circuits. It was a human being partially transformed into a machine”. In other word, cyborg is neither wholly technological nor completely organic. This article tells us about how the computer allows the augmentation of the human being through the integration of electronic technology into the human being. This brings us to the notion of cyborgization of the human race. Such integration suggests that the human race is able to “transcend limitations of intellect, strength, and longevity previously ‘programmed’ into its DNA by eons of evolution”. The article also includes useful examples in illustrating the statement mentioned just now. Thus, the article helps illustrate the present cyborg phenomenon, telling us that the augmentation of human being through technology can be regarded as cyborgization of the human race. This suggests being cyborg is possible for anybody in today’s world.

“Cyber Gender” by Jennifer Breen
This article shows a broader sense of cyborg. It is particularly about the emergence of the “internet cyborg” brought about by technological advancement. Obviously, the term “internet cyborg” seems a lot more related to us. Cyborg, in the broad sense, includes people who have connection with any technological devices. This article is useful in illustrating a new notion of cyborg(the internet cyborg) and how the internet cyborg may be considered a trangressive figure.
As can be seen from the title “Cyber Gender”, it is about gender-trangressive on the internet. As mentioned in the article, the new identity is formed from the relationship between the original identity and the internet. It is a cyborg identity, part machine, part human. The author explains that “the internet identity you create might be an extension of yourself, but you too become an extension of that identity.” She mentions that postmodern identity is crucially about the individual freedom of choice regarding identity. The author says that identity is a multifaceted concept and people will probably choose to change only certain aspects of their identity. The author states that gender is one aspect of identity that people will commonly change online. She mentions that the internet cyborg considers gender as something that can be easily altered at will, and they are not bound to the gender system. By being able to change gender at will, the internet cyborg is able to generate a change in how we think about “gender”. The ability to choose whoever you want to be on the internet brings to us the notion of “hybrid entity”. This article gives example on how gender can be transgressed by the internet cyborgs.

“Technological Transcendence: Why It’s Okay that the Future Doesn’t Need Us” by Thomas Blake
Cyborg is similarly defined as “a combination of information technology and living matter” in this article. The author specifies a cyborg as “a human who has undergone the physical addition of mechanical parts such that they are integrated with the human’s biological body”. This can be referred to any living being that has been integrated with any kind of technology. The author provides examples showing that a child with immunizations or a man wearing glasses would count as a cyborg in this very broad sense. The writer then questions, how we, in this very broad sense, should define cyborg. As it seems that the addition of mechanical parts to the human body will not result in a being with a different nature at first glance. He then mentions that “when we see a cyborg in science fiction, however, with all robotic limbs and laser eyes, there seems to be something unnatural and even menacing about it. In fact, it seems better to call such a thing “it” rather than “him” or “her”.” In this sense, a confusion regarding what it is meant to be cyborg raised, especially in today’s world where technology is so advanced and people are so reliant on technology. However, it is suggested that though cyborg in the form of “a human who has undergone the physical addition of mechanic parts” seems common in today’s world, as long as they have undergone such “physical addition”, they can be regarded as cyborgs and are neither wholly technological nor completely organic as according to the definition made preciously.

“Being Cyborg is Possible for anybody” by Heo Jae-sung
This journal shows a changing nature of cyborg and how easily for one to fall into the category of cyborg nowadays. Originally, the conception of cyborg was meant to replace the body with the artificial organs so that people may survive severe circumstances. With technological development, today’s cyborg is used to provide people with artificial organs in case of losing a part of their body owing to disease or accident. The author mentions that “cyborg is a human who has certain physiological processes aided or controlled by mechanical or electronic devices”. Most artificial instruments fall into category of cyborg with the exception of natural organs of the body. The artificial instruments “are the cyborgs tools for crossing [these] borders” as shown in the article written by Chuck Meyer. Similar to the article written by Thomas Blake, the author states that cyborg includes people, for example, who prolong their life span by changing their old and ill organs to fresh artificial parts. That is why the writer titles the article as “Being cyborg is Possible for anybody” because in this very broad sense of cyborg, there are in fact already many cyborgs all over the world. This relates back to the article “Cyber Gender” that cyborg, in the broad sense, includes people who have connection with any technological devices.

“Human Identity in the Age of Computers” by Chuck Meyer
This article mainly focuses on the author’s response to Haraway’s conception of cyborg identity. The author mentions Haraway’s statement that “we are already cyborgs”. Haraway also recognizes the fragmentary nature of identity. Haraway believes that the cyborg myth should try to dissolve ideas of organic wholeness. The author states that the evolution of the cyborg identity is based in a series of border wars. Cyborgs stand at the borders between man and animal, animal and machine, physical and non-physical. The author further states that modern communication technologies and biotechnologies are the cyborgs tools for crossing these borders. We, as cyborgs, are transgressive figure that are neither wholly technological nor organic. In this sense, it can no longer be argued that we are completely organic as the concept of cyborg lies within a gray area.
The author gives useful daily examples on how one would be considered cyborg and how easily for one to fall into the category of cyborg nowadays. These examples are all startling boundary transgressions that we now accept as part of daily life. We cannot make strong distinctions between humans and computers as we are extending through cyborg couplings. The author stresses that science is displacing the boundaries between human and machine.

These online sources are useful in illustrating the cyborg phenomenon. They also provide adequate examples of how one would fall into the category of cyborg in today's world and in this sense, in what ways cyborg is still a transgressive figure.

References:
Chuck Meyer (2002) ‘Human Identity in the Age of Computers’.
http://fragment.nl/mirror/Meyer/CyborgIdentity.htm (accessed 26 February 2009)
Heo Jae-sung (2002) ‘Being Cyborg is Possible for anybody’ The Argus 369,
http://maincc.hufs.ac.kr/~theargus/369/theory_04.htm (accessed 26 February 2009)
Jennifer Breen (2007) ‘Cyber Gender’. http://cyborgdb.org/breen.htm (accessed 26 February 2009)
Steve Mizrach ‘Should there be a limit placed on the integration of humans and computers and electronic technology?’. http://www.fiu.edu/~mizrachs/cyborg-ethics.html (accessed 26 February 2009)
Thomas Blake (2007) ‘Technological Transcendence: Why It’s Okay that the Future Doesn’t Need Us’.
http://www.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk/conferences/ethicomp/ethicomp2007/abstracts/83.html (accessed 26 February 2009)