Brooks Bennett
Cyborg Citizen: Summary/ Response
02/12/04

SHORT REVIEW

Chris Hables Gray posits in his book Cyborg Citizen, "There must be communication for political participation" (22). Therefore, if a cyborg can hold a meaningful conversation with a human and show agency, it can be a citizen of the post-human society. Gray calls for a political movement, laid out in a 'Cyborg Bill of Rights', to redefine rights in the political realm as humans become more machine-like and machines become more human.

Gray would say that the first machine was an ancient army, and through nanotechnology the soldiers of the future will be smaller than a human hair. For Gray, war fundamentally is about the hacking and maiming of bodies, not computers. Therefore, jamming radar, and bringing down computer networks are only a part of war inasmuch as their effects lead to physical deaths. Postmodern warfare is a game of cat and mouse because weapons have 'evolved' to the point that world destruction is feasible (both on a macro and nano-scale). Some see technology as the force that will bring world peace; others see it as the force of death. Gray takes no absolute stance, but urges society to understand the possibilities and form their own conclusions.

Gray believes high-tech medicine is cyborg medicine, and modern science is leading to the mathematization of the human body. Transplants are getting better and complex polymer biomaterials mimic the workings of the human body at the cellular level. Sperm and eggs can be frozen for later use or discarded if deemed inferior. Sociologist of medicine, Monica Casper, described fetal tissue as the, "Play-Dohª of many scientists, easily manipulated and shaped into all kinds of baroque cyber organic configurations" (92). Germ-line modifications allow developed traits to be passed on through mating or cloning. Some scientists even propose that by 2020 humans will be altering their germ-line for non-medical reasons and by 2030 the first children altered for intelligence, longevity, and appearance will be brought into the world. Gray is calling for society to deeply reflect on the confluence of bodies and machines, and he is asking everyone to think about the social and political implications of the cyborg.

BRIEF COMMENTS

Gray puts weight in the famous John O'Sullivan quote, "the government that governs best, governs least" (23). It seems that Gray is of the opinion that limited government best suits the post-human political realm, but then he adds to political bloating by creating a "Cyborg Bill of Rights." Is there an inconsistency here? Is Gray a techno-hypocrite?

I am of the opinion that Gray is utilizing irony to make a distinct point. Government is all about drawing lines of demarcation, and these boundary lines are what Gray intends to have broken down. Utilizing signs for meanings that they were not originally intended lies at the heart of postmodernism, which is intertwined with cyborg theory. In this case, the Bill of Rights is utilized in conjunction with the idea of the cyborg to stand against the entrenched political landscape of today. Is a rule that says, "Break the current rules" truly a rule?

Gray tackles some interesting virtual issues relating to cyberspace. Much of the power of cyberspace came from its juxtaposed uses. A person can log into a virtual community and live out a fantasy. He or she can do medical research pertaining to an illness. Consumers can log onto corporate websites and buy merchandise. All of these tasks can be achieved from the same terminal. The world "inside the box" breaks down many of the social norms which people are accustomed to "outside the box." This is the fantastic debate that cyberspace allows.

Where does one end in cyberspace? Where does one end in reality? What does this mean socially? These questions have no set answers; it is the debate that is important. I think Gray would agree.