The Cyborg Experiments

The Cyborg Experiments analyzes the challenges posed to corporeality by techology. Taking as their starting point the work of the highly influential performance artists Orlan and Stelarc, the essays in this timely and important collection raise a number of questions in relation to new conceptions of embodiment, identity and otherness in the age of new technologies: Has the body become obsolete? Does transgender challenge traditional ideas of agency? Have we always been cyborgs?In addition to highlighting the playful character of digital aesthetics, the contributors investigate ethical issues concerning the ownership of our bodies and the experiments we perform on them. In this way the book explores how humanism, and ideas of "the human", have been placed under increasing scrutiny as a result of new developments in science, media and communications.Contributors:John Appleby, Rachel Armstrong, Fred Botting, Julie Clarke, Gary Hall, Chris Hables Gray, Meredith Jones, Orlan, Mark Poster, Jay Prosser, E. A. Scheer, Zod Sofia, Stelarc, Scott Wilson, Joanna Zylinska

The Cyborg Experiments analyzes the challenges posed to corporeality by techology. Taking as their starting point the work of the highly influential performance artists Orlan and Stelarc, the essays in this timely and important collection raise a number of questions in relation to new conceptions of embodiment, identity and otherness in the age of new technologies: Has the body become obsolete? Does transgender challenge traditional ideas of agency? Have we always been cyborgs?In addition to highlighting the playful character of digital aesthetics, the contributors investigate ethical issues concerning the ownership of our bodies and the experiments we perform on them. In this way the book explores how humanism, and ideas of "the human", have been placed under increasing scrutiny as a result of new developments in science, media and communications.Contributors:John Appleby, Rachel Armstrong, Fred Botting, Julie Clarke, Gary Hall, Chris Hables Gray, Meredith Jones, Orlan, Mark Poster, Jay Prosser, E. A. Scheer, Zod Sofia, Stelarc, Scott Wilson, Joanna Zylinska>

"In fact, all of this is more than just a theoretical possibility. Here, Kevin Warwick reveals how he has taken the first practical steps on this fascinating path, using himself as a guinea pig receiving, by surgical operation, technological implants connected to his central nervous system."--BOOK JACKET.

The Uncanny: Experiments in Cyborg Culture documents the image of the cyborg in all its imaginative guises. The title is from a 1919 essay by Sigmund Freud, which describes "the uncanny" as that which is familiar and strange at the same time.

"Steve Mann is a cyborg. He sees the entire world, including himself, through a video lens--the WearComp system. He can control what he sees, liberating his imaginative space from the visual stimuli-billboards and flashing neon signs--that threaten to overwhelm us. While recognizing the danger that human beings could be controlled by technology and the corporations that produce it for profit, Mann is also fascinated by the vast possibilities presented by the wearable computer"--Back cover

In February of this year, Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics at Reading University will have a computer chip surgically inserted into his nervous system and then a week or so later, when the safety of this operation has been ascertained, a similar chip will be inserted into his wife. Both will be linked to a computer. A key part of the experiment involves the hope that emotions and experiences - such as intoxication, anger, lust - will be read in terms of patterns of nervous excitement from the chip into the computer and recorded, then beamed back into the chip so that these feelings can be re-experienced. When two people have chips will their experiences be communicable? If one feels desire in New York, will the other be able to feel it in London? In this incredibly exciting and potentially ground-breaking experiment, by making practical direct mind-to-mind communication, as well as direct mind-to-computer communication, Kevin Warwick will be changing forever just what it means to be human

We are currently living in an age of scientific humanism. Cyborgs, robots, avatars, and bio-technologically created beings are new entities that exist alongside biological human beings. As with many emerging technologies, many people will find the concept foreign and frightening. There is a strong possibility that these entities will be mistreated. Philosophical Issues of Human Cyborgization and the Necessity of Prolegomena on Cyborg Ethics discusses the ethics of human cyborgization as well as emerging technologies of robots and avatars that exhibit human-like qualities. The chapters build a strong case for the necessity of cyborg ethics and protocols for preserving the vitality of life within an ever-advancing technological society. Covering topics such as cyborg hacking, historical reality, and naturalism, this book is a dynamic resource for scientists, ethicists, cyber behavior professionals, students and professors of both technological and philosophical studies, faculty of higher education, philosophers, AI engineers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and academicians.