Question 2: “The machine/organism relationships are obsolete, uncessary” writes Haraway. In what ways have our relations to machines been theorized?
1. Nordqvist ,Christian. “Artificial Limbs Attached Directly To Human Skeleton.” Medical News Today 03 Jul 2006 - 13:00 PST. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/46475.php>
This article is introducing the Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis technique which studied by the Scientists from University College London and tested on the patient of Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex, England. The testing process has achieved a great success. By this technique, artificial limb can be directly connected to disables and controlled by their CNS (central nervous system). This new technology has a lot of great benefits to disable patient. Firstly, it can greatly reduce the chance of wound infection as the artificial limb is attached to the bone by a titanium rod so that all the artificial limbs are strapped onto the outside of the patient’s body. Moreover, according to the scientist, the skin around the titanium rod will fuse and a seal will be formed. In this way, the artificial limb will not breach the skin so the risk of wound infection can greatly reduced, or even be avoided. Secondly, the soreness and/or numbness produced by the artificial limb to the patient can be eliminated. It is because the soreness and/or numbness are created by the pressure of the artificial limb against the limb. In this new technology, it was connected by the titanium rod so the soreness and/or numbness can be avoided.
2. Halley, Drew. The Future of Sex: Androids, VR, and the Orgasm Button. Singularity Hub. 20 May 2009. 20 Apr 2011. <http://singularityhub.com/2009/05/20/the-future-of-sex-androids-vr-and-the-orgasm-button/>
In the article, “The Future of Sex: Androids, VR, and the Orgasm Button”, the writer discuss on how may human’s sex life become in the future. Sex is a primitive desire of human being. But there is a huge change on the purpose as time goes by. At the very beginning, it is for reproductive purpose. But, for now, it may about pleasure more than reproduction as there are a lot of contraception methods. So that human can enjoy sex with a minimum chance of being pregnant. And it brought up the idea that human’s sex mode may be shifted will the developed off technology.
In 1953, Dr. John C.Lilly from the National Institute of Mental Health conducted an experiment on a male monkey. He put two electrodes in its brain and found the area which responsible for erection, ejaculation, and orgasm. Through a series of experiment, he found out that orgasm of the male monkey can be produced by electrical stimulation.
In the passage, it also pointed out that technology has greatly influenced human life. However, is this influence good or bad? This is the question that left by the writer for the reader to have an introspection.
3. Denton, Michael. “ARE WE SPIRITUAL MACHINES? | Chapter 3: Organism and Machine — The Flawed Analogy”. Kurzweil. 7 Jun 2001. 20 Apr 2011. < http://www.kurzweilai.net/chapter-3-organism-and-machine-the-flawed-analogy >
The passage “ARE WE SPIRITUAL MACHINES? | Chapter 3: Organism and Machine — The Flawed Analogy” was written by Michael Denton in 2001. In the article, Michael has discussed on the topic of the combination of organism and machine. He wanted to question the validity of the machine/organism analogy upon which the whole mechanistic tradition is based. He brought up the idea that it may be not possible to create a “spiritual machine” as human can rarely find an exact instantiation in artificial manmade systems.
One of the reasons that proposed by the writer is the variation in genome. Human reproduction is very complicated process. It is something that happened in an entirely natural way, no one can have any prediction on it. The combination of the two set of chromosome can create a huge number of variation, that’s why human is so unique. This uniqueness cannot be replaced by machine.
The writer addressed that human/organisms and machines cannot be analog as organisms are having some kind of properties which machines will never have a similar behavior. If human/organisms and machines can be analog, a lot of problem will be created. The whole mechanistic framework of modern biology would have to be abandoned. The human evolution theory will have to be reformulated also.
4. Bar-Cohen, Yoseph. “Bionic Humans Using EAP as Artificial Muscles Reality and Challenges”. ARS Journal. 3 Sept 2004. 20 Apr 2011. < http://www.ars-journal.com/ars/Free_Articles/Bar-Cohen.htm >
The passage “Bionic Humans Using EAP as Artificial Muscles Reality and Challenges” which written by Yoseph Bar-Cohen was discussed on the idea of connecting bionic muscle to human body. The idea often appeared in movie, however, it may come true in the future. From the article, it stated that nowadays’ medical science had developed a new material which called electroactive polymers (EAP). Although the techniques still need to be studied, it was a great step on the bionic muscle medical science.
Materials that are available to replaced human body tissue have long been a trouble to the medical science as the number of patients that needed an organ transplant is always a lot more than the number supplied. Therefore, artificial alternatives are always required. However, the development in artificial human organ is not an easy process. There are a lot of aspects that required the scientist to give consideration to, for example, the biological compatibility as rejection will even cause death of the patient and the effectiveness of the artificial human organ.
The passage also brought up the idea of making human-like robot by the electroactive polymers (EAP) technology. By the technology of the present days, we are able to make robot that have facial expression. Along the development of the technology, body movement related to the facial expressions of the robot will be possible in which to make these robots become more human-like.
5. Boyle, Jen. “Sex and the Body in Technology”. Net Industries. 20 Apr 2011. 20 Apr 2011. < http://science.jrank.org/pages/63427/Sex-Body-in-Technology.html >
In the article “Sex and the Body in Technology”, the writer addressed that the concept of body has been changed along with the development of the technology and the change in the cultural environment.
In the past, human being can only studied ourselves in a physical way. As technology improved, we are able to study human to a genetic extent. From the nineteenth centuries, there was a great step in the human biological studies technology. That is the succeed in the Human Genome Project. This project provided a full profile of human genetic material through data-basing the human DNA sequences which highly contributory to the preventing of genetic disease and also the eugenic researches.
The writer also stated that the studies in human body would produce a great help in the development of the prostheses which could help a lot of disables. Moreover, the development in technology would allow people become more powerful.
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