Post-Human Condition

by Robert Pepperell

This work challenges many of the humanist assumptions of Western philosophy, science and art. It proposes a view of the human condition building on the findings of quantum theory, chaos theory, catastrophe theory, cybernetics, cyberpunk and New Ageism, taking into account current scientific and technological developments.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

Reviews

[ex0self · Rating 5 out of 5]

My graduate school thesis research began with this book and I loved it. Great great book.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

zajimavy a relevant k dnesni dobe podleme jeste vic nez v dobe kdy to psal

[Sefa Yılmaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Pepperell's The Posthuman Condition interests me because it refuses to treat the human being as a settled, self-contained category. The book brings questions about mind, technology, embodiment, and artistic practice into a conversation about how the boundaries between people and their environments are understood. Its challenge to a simple separation between consciousness and the physical world is particularly relevant to the way contemporary culture imagines artificial intelligence. Instead of asking only whether a machine can reproduce a human faculty, Pepperell encourages us to examine the assumptions behind the word 'human' itself. I find this a more demanding starting point than either technological enthusiasm or nostalgia for an imagined pre-digital identity. The problem is that questioning boundaries does not automatically explain which transformations are desirable. The language of posthuman possibility can suggest a shared future while overlooking uneven access to technology, labor hidden behind digital systems, and the ecological costs of technological expansion. I also want a clearer distinction between claims about consciousness, which demand careful philosophical argument, and claims about changing cultural experiences of the body. The two inform one another but are not identical. For my interests in game narratives and representations of artificial life, the most valuable part of the book is its insistence that technology changes our descriptions of agency as much as our capacities to act. I come away less persuaded by any total theory of 'the posthuman' than by the questions the book makes difficult to avoid: where does a subject begin, and what kind of world makes that subject possible?

[melancholinary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too bad that I read the Indonesian translated version of this book in which totally unreadable. The translator for this book should just stop their job and reevaluate their translating skill. However, I think Pepperell takes too much detour in terms of structuring his argument on this book. Moreover, his explanation of the term posthumanism seems too vague compare to Haraway's terminology 'cyborg.' A couple last chapter of this book is interesting, as well as the concept of entropy, chaos theory and creativity though it is pretty dated—mind you this was written in the mid-90s.

[Simon W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provozierende Thesen, die das zunehmend verschmelzende Verhältnis zwischen Mensch und Technolgie einordnen und das Selbstbild, d.i. Selbstverständnis, des Menschen neu bewerten. Der Posthumanismus als Vorschlag einer Denkungsart, um den derzeitigen technologischen Herausforderungen begegnen zu können.

[Patrick Diego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tem uns insights muito bons sobre o pós-humanismo, apesar do tom meio panfletário.

[Rory · Rating 3 out of 5]

awesome theory on consciousness. Very interesting read.