The topic of this week is posthuman conclusions. To start with, we have to find out the difference between human nowadays and posthuman generation. Traditionally, there is always the existence of dualities, which means if you are not a man, then you must be a woman. In view of this, humans are limited by their organic bodies. From the point of view of posthuman, it helps people understand the world from multiple heterogeneous perspectives.
Posthumanism suggests the breaking down of the real and nature. It insists that there is no absolute truth existing in the world. The existing dualities are only constructed by human and forced upon us. It also states that human’s perceptions are not rational and easily affected by the environment and the factors; for example, The Madhouse and 4D movies. Posthumanism possesses a view that people cannot love without technology. It sees our bodies as original prosthesis and we should learn to manipulate. Moreover, the boundary between body and computer will be blurred.
For embodiment, human’s body is viewed from a cultural perspective, which means the representation of human is socially constructed; for example, we consider people with long hair must be girls. Embodiment means the experience from the inside, including feelings, emotions and sensations. Human’s bodies are closely related to their embodiment. They are related to unconscious expressions like the posture of how we sit, people touching their ears when they are feeling nervous. Human embodiment is not naturally constructed, but rather affected by the environment and things. For instance, different gender will have different reactions when watching horror films.
Donna Haraway has said “Human and technology will enable us to download our consciousness into computers, thereby escaping the frailties of the human body, especially mortality”. She points out the possible relations between humans and technology in the future. She even sees the future that technology can help human beings from mortality. Another schlor, Andy Clark, mentions that “technologies have always coevolved with the human brain”. During the lecture this week, we have learnt that technology is designed for human’s use; and humans will then get used to it. Therefore, human’s brains and technology are influencing each other.
An example will be computer video game players. When game players are playing games, they use a joystick have a control of their movements in the game. According to the readings, the joystick is seen as an extension of the hands of computer games players. Thus, the players have to biologically adapt to the joystick and use it as their own hands. But why can they do it? It is because human’s flexible neural system enables them to do so.
Clark has also mentioned that “Not in the merely superficial sense of combining flesh and wires, but in the more profound sense of being human-technology symbiots: thinking and reasoning systems whose minds and selves are spread across biological brain and non-biological circuitry”. He states that cyborgs are not only the mixture of flesh and wires, but a mixture of human beings and technology.
In the readings, Hayles points out that cogntion is a systemic activity throughout environment. There are also many cognizing agents; however, being the most powerful is intelligent machines (technology). On the other hand, humans are not only grasped by their conscious mind, but also having interactions with the environment. Technology is for humans and when technology changes, humans’ brains adapt to it. And this is seen as a two-way influence.
Discussion:
1. What will you do when you go back do?
2. It is no doubt that technology influences us a lot, like what? E.g. life experience, consumer habits, learning habits.
3. How many people will use credit card / Octopus card more often than paying cash? Why? Does it change your concept about money?
4. Does technology change your consumer habits? Online shopping rather than go out shopping?
5. If there is no power point for presentation / no Word for doing essay. What will you do?
6. Do you want to own a pillow like this (the pillow we have shown during our presentation)?
7. Heartbeat seems the uniqueness of animals, but now you can hear your lover’s heartbeat through a machine. Will you think the technology will replace the human uniqueness in the future? E.g. Memory / brain.
Posthumanism suggests the breaking down of the real and nature. It insists that there is no absolute truth existing in the world. The existing dualities are only constructed by human and forced upon us. It also states that human’s perceptions are not rational and easily affected by the environment and the factors; for example, The Madhouse and 4D movies. Posthumanism possesses a view that people cannot love without technology. It sees our bodies as original prosthesis and we should learn to manipulate. Moreover, the boundary between body and computer will be blurred.
For embodiment, human’s body is viewed from a cultural perspective, which means the representation of human is socially constructed; for example, we consider people with long hair must be girls. Embodiment means the experience from the inside, including feelings, emotions and sensations. Human’s bodies are closely related to their embodiment. They are related to unconscious expressions like the posture of how we sit, people touching their ears when they are feeling nervous. Human embodiment is not naturally constructed, but rather affected by the environment and things. For instance, different gender will have different reactions when watching horror films.
Donna Haraway has said “Human and technology will enable us to download our consciousness into computers, thereby escaping the frailties of the human body, especially mortality”. She points out the possible relations between humans and technology in the future. She even sees the future that technology can help human beings from mortality. Another schlor, Andy Clark, mentions that “technologies have always coevolved with the human brain”. During the lecture this week, we have learnt that technology is designed for human’s use; and humans will then get used to it. Therefore, human’s brains and technology are influencing each other.
An example will be computer video game players. When game players are playing games, they use a joystick have a control of their movements in the game. According to the readings, the joystick is seen as an extension of the hands of computer games players. Thus, the players have to biologically adapt to the joystick and use it as their own hands. But why can they do it? It is because human’s flexible neural system enables them to do so.
Clark has also mentioned that “Not in the merely superficial sense of combining flesh and wires, but in the more profound sense of being human-technology symbiots: thinking and reasoning systems whose minds and selves are spread across biological brain and non-biological circuitry”. He states that cyborgs are not only the mixture of flesh and wires, but a mixture of human beings and technology.
In the readings, Hayles points out that cogntion is a systemic activity throughout environment. There are also many cognizing agents; however, being the most powerful is intelligent machines (technology). On the other hand, humans are not only grasped by their conscious mind, but also having interactions with the environment. Technology is for humans and when technology changes, humans’ brains adapt to it. And this is seen as a two-way influence.
Discussion:
1. What will you do when you go back do?
2. It is no doubt that technology influences us a lot, like what? E.g. life experience, consumer habits, learning habits.
3. How many people will use credit card / Octopus card more often than paying cash? Why? Does it change your concept about money?
4. Does technology change your consumer habits? Online shopping rather than go out shopping?
5. If there is no power point for presentation / no Word for doing essay. What will you do?
6. Do you want to own a pillow like this (the pillow we have shown during our presentation)?
7. Heartbeat seems the uniqueness of animals, but now you can hear your lover’s heartbeat through a machine. Will you think the technology will replace the human uniqueness in the future? E.g. Memory / brain.
By:
Ellis Wong / Ashley Yeung / Yan Shek
In fact, we are all used to the technology development nowadays. Imagine that if one day we do not have any gadgets, credit card, or even cell phone, I believe that no one can accommodate this situation. For me, I can’t live without cell phone, iPod and computer, if I live without one of the above, I will fear and unsatisfied. This topic is talk about post human, I can imagine that after 100 years no matter human is exist or not, the world may all become mechanism, human can work with robot. Robot will turn into the main part in our future. In the point of robot, it also related to cyborg theory which human and machine can build relationship between that. Maybe, we should enjoy nowadays technology benefits, and try to accept the later on stage on human-robot era.
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ReplyDeleteYes, It’s no doubt that we all influence by the technology, for example, putting aside that scientific applications in medicine, those full of advanced and great “engineering”. Just for me, I cant imagine that I live without mobile-phone, ipod, TV, computer and so on, maybe I will dont know or can not receive any information in the shortest time, it will affect my life seriously. And for sure that the technology is try to change our value, not only the concept of money, but is the appearance, human values also are altering, like, we can have the plastic surgery now if we dont like each part of our body, even we can chose the gender of the baby as well, and this is another important issue that worth for discuss. I think the technology can change my consumer habits, as it’s too easy to buy a stuff by online shopping, the benefits are included, I can search the things which I like but which is hard to find in the shop, such as, I seldom could find the Vintage dress in HongKong, it may because it is not a fashion trend in here, however I can easy to discover many good vintage stuffs in ebay, also, I can buy it at anytime, no time limited that if i have a credit card. I would like to own a pillow too, it’s quite funny that can listen the other side’s heartbeat, and it may become good tool to maintain the relationship of the lovers. Last, I don’t think the technology will replace the human uniqueness, unless, we are living objects, who have feelings, thoughtful, can laugh and cry, but it’s hard to lack of technology in this new generation.
ReplyDeleteI think in nowadays we quite depend on the technology and it seems that most of the people are quite addicted to the efficiency of it, such as the credit card and online payment system are really affectiing our spending pattern.
ReplyDeleteAs my own experience, I think that if one day we do not have the internet, mobile phone those technology devices, this will be have a great impact in our lives. It is because technology is changing not just our lives but our mind set towards the daily things also.
However, even people are addicted to those high technologhy devices, still I think people are just appreciate the conveniences only.
Nowadays, we cannot live without technology. I think most people will feel insecurity if they forget to bring their mobile phone. We are quite additic to technology.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, i must admit that credit card or Octopus card is very convenient for urbanite. We no need to bring a lot of coins or cash on hand.And it change our buying habit. As we can use the credit card to buy things even you do not have enough money in your bank account. We can shop by credit. Yet, people do not realize that it is a problem if we have a debt every month. That's why so many people have the finance problem nowadays.
In response to question 2, I do not usually use octopus card to pay and do not have credit card. It is no doubt that they are convenient; however, this may weaken the concept of money in our mind. If we paid by cash, we could know the numbers of paper notes and coins that we used. At that time when we do not have much paper notes left, this can remind ourselves to spend less. By using credit card or octopus card, whatever the amount of money, just require to take the card out and sign the name. This would be difficult for some people to control their spending.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question 6, I think the idea of the pillow is interesting, but I do not want to have one. The pillow can imitate human’s heartbeat, but it is not able to make people feel like a real human sleeping next to you. There is a huge difference between a pillow and a human body. The pillow cannot imitate the body temperature, give a hug and have communication. And I will feel strange when hugging with a thing that have hearbeat…….
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ReplyDeleteTo response the question 3, I think the concept of money is decreaing, because of the credit card, EPS or Octopus cards.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I use octopus card everyday for travel to school and back to home. This is very convenient to just "do" and I can take the transportation, and this feel that not using the real coins or the notes because I have add the value to the card.
Also, using EPS is more convenient than using money and I can no need to bring many cash in hand, and this easy to make me use more money in a day , the reason is just same with using the octopus card.
I think these both have adventages and disadventages, just depands on what you looks to the concept of money.