"By the late twentieth century, our time, a mythic time, we are all chimeras, theorized and fabricated hybrids of machine and organism; in short, we are cyborgs." The Cyborg Manifesto

We are all cyborgs.

The cyborg debate is huge, it's rapidly becoming more relevant, and I hadn't realized. Sure, I often hear talk about this generation's dependence on smart phones and how artificial things are becoming, from dating to food. However, I only thought of cyborgs as steel-armed fictional characters. The reality is we've been cyborgs for a long time.

Are we becoming less human?

As technology progresses, as we further augment ourselves externally and internally, and as socialization immerses deeper into social media, we have to ask if we're still the same. I think that we're not approaching diminution, but are rather attaining a better state of living.

Chimera of Nature and Science

Though the word "cyborg" has become a blanket term, we fit its definitions. We are all hybrids of natural and artificial systems, we are all scientifically granted abilities greater than normal humans, and we are all regularly enhanced by technological devices. Glasses, vaccines, vitamins, surgery, botox, prosthetics, phones, clothes, the internet, etc. — we are dependent on technology.

My generation is especially cognizant of the benefits of technological symbiosis. Think of how some people respond to losing wi-fi. Personally, it irritates me. I have alternatives, but I feel deprived of something I use regularly. Similarly, think of what it feels like when you don't have your phone. I feel naked without mine.

This isn't because I have to Snap my friends or play the latest trending bird app. I outsource my faculties to my phone. I use it for directions, alarms, and planning. Normally I handle those things poorly, but with my phone I don't have to worry. It almost perfectly compensates for my deficiencies.

Beyond the Body

There are two types of physical augmentation: biological and technical. Biological augmentation is using external methods to alter the body's vitality or appearance. Botox, braces, reconstructive surgery, and facial creams are all ways we use science to change our appearance.

Imagine someone like Joan Rivers going back in time. Clear skin, lips pumped with botox, facelift, pearly teeth, and bleached hair. The uncanny valley is a term for robots, but I think it would apply there. People have changed.

Technical augmentation fascinates me more. A person with a prosthetic is no longer inherently weaker than an average person. Prosthetics have a long way to go before they become superior to the human body, but we've reached a point of separation between those with and without. As I wrote last week, athletes with prosthetics may have an advantage. They may be stronger and faster than other peak humans.

These people are separated from other athletes because their disability might give them an advantage.

It's reasonable to assume that technology will continue to improve prosthetics beyond our bodily limits. The future predicted by the game "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" is becoming more feasible. In "Deus Ex," people voluntarily augment themselves with bionic limbs for enhanced performance.

The game exploits this idea for cool gameplay mechanics like camouflage and machine gun arms, but I'm not interested in the offensive applications of augmentation — I'm intrigued by the possibility of enhancement.

Ultimate Fluidity

The philosophical ramifications of cyborgs are many. I tackled one last week, but another more popular controversy is using science to artificially change a person's gender. Again, the term "cyborg" is remarkably fluid, so I use it in the sense of a hybrid of biology and science. Cyborgs in fiction are the bastard offspring of science and grit, but in reality we've reached a point where we can change our bodies beyond recognition.

Race and gender can be changed in the postmodern world.

The Cyborg fractures our notion of identity by warping, splitting, and creating identities. The opening quote from this article is from "The Cyborg Manifesto," a rhetorical piece of radical feminism by Donna Haraway. She sees the Cyborg as the ultimate postmodern identity:

“A cyborg world might be about lived social and bodily realities in which people are not afraid of their joint kinship with animals and machines, nor afraid of permanently partial identities and contradictory standpoints.”

Not only does the cyborg allow for changing identities, it can become an identity. The upcoming sequel to "Deus Ex" is about "mechanical apartheid," the prejudice that emerges against a group of people sharing a common characteristic (physical augmentations). The Cyborg can choose its gender and race, and can be further augmented into a new, intimidating type of person.

Transhumanism and Playing God

The moral dilemma of the Cyborg is not rooted in the question of whether we're becoming less human, but if we're trying to be more like God. The phrase "playing God" shows up constantly in fiction as a warning against untempered science. The Tower of Babel story is about people becoming too powerful and the Genesis account shows God's concern over man becoming like Him. Genesis 3:22-23 states:

"Then the LORD God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—' therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken."

We've been using tools since — if you follow the Christian account — God clothed us in the Garden of Eden. Despite the potential for enhancement, we condone prosthetics as a way of helping the disabled. A cane is fine, but a new leg isn't?

I'd argue that physical augmentation is the natural extension of our tool use. That which was external becomes internal. Google Glass is now in your eye and you can pay with your fingertip. As long as technology serves to bolster our experience rather than dominate it as idols, I think Christians can approve of the Cyborg.

I've talked about biological and technical changes, but I haven't mentioned the possibility of amplified human intelligence or brain uploading. These two areas are the most problematic, but fortunately the most hypothetical.

A Steel Future

I started this article when I realized I fit the basic definition of a cyborg. I am a human with a mechanical part. The metal rods from my surgery for scoliosis are hidden, but they've forever changed my natural biology. That's a good thing.

I have glasses, so I love the idea of cybernetic eyes. Better vision than 20/20, built in cameras, night vision, and the ability to scan and analyze my environment. Maybe lasers too. I'll settle for just 20/20 vision, but I can dream of the rest. I want augmentation to improve for those who need it — and for those who want to go beyond.

We're a long way from neural implants and mind uploading, but with smart cars, smart clothes, mobile prosthetics, the internet, and more, we've already entered a Sci-Fi future. For more on this topic, check out this excellent STBYM podcast.