false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173555022m/303065.jpg 303065 2 The title of this scholarly yet remarkably accessible slice of contemporary cultural history has a whiff of paradox about it: what can it mean, exactly, to say that we humans have become something other than human? The answer, Katherine Hayles explains, lies not in ourselves but in our tools. Ever since the invention of electronic computers five decades ago, these powerful new machines have inspired a shift in how we define ourselves both as individuals and as a species.<p> Hayles tracks this shift across the history of avant-garde computer theory, starting with Norbert Weiner and other early "cyberneticists," who were the first to systematically explore the similarities between living and computing systems. Hayles's study ends with artificial-life specialists, many of whom no longer even bother to distinguish between life forms and computers. Along the way she shows these thinkers struggling to reconcile their traditional, Western notions of human identity with the unsettling, cyborg directions in which their own work seems to be leading humanity.<p> This is more than just the story of a geek elite, however. Hayles looks at cybernetically inspired science fiction by the likes of Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, and Neal Stephenson to show how the larger culture grapples with the same issues that dog the technologists. She also draws lucidly on her own broad grasp of contemporary philosophy both to contextualize those issues and to contend with them herself. The result is a fascinating introduction--and a valuable addition--to one of the most important currents in recent intellectual history. <I>--Julian Dibbell</I> 294121 15 2 1999 How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics total:81|5:36|4:23|3:16|2:5|1:1| 81 331 166 9 5 2 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Tue Mar 18 18:35:01 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 18 18:36:46 -0700 2008 5 1 false false Sun May 18 09:25:14 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 09:28:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Dec 12 09:52:00 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 12 10:25:50 -0800 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Jan 30 01:13:35 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 01:18:22 -0800 2009
Hayles could also do without the pop references to Lacan--she should either take him seriously or not, but don't qu...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 26 16:24:03 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 16:26:35 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Thu Jun 18 15:13:33 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 15:15:16 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 13:10:52 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 22:12:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 03 08:33:43 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 03 08:37:28 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Jan 26 15:53:57 -0800 2009 Tue Apr 24 12:37:09 -0700 2007 Mon Jan 26 15:53:57 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 24 06:06:33 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 06:06:33 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 17 07:05:53 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 17 07:05:53 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Nov 16 15:33:55 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 15:34:09 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Thu Nov 05 23:49:52 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 05 23:49:52 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 21 12:34:57 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 12:34:57 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 06 05:12:23 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 05:12:23 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Aug 23 11:04:37 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 11:04:37 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Aug 11 14:40:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 14:40:00 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Jul 25 23:12:30 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 23:12:30 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jul 21 04:30:15 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 04:30:15 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jul 13 09:10:26 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 09:10:26 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=303065