From: Natasha Vita-More (natasha@natasha.cc)
Date: Tue Jul 29 2003 - 23:08:38 MDT
At 07:06 PM 7/29/03 -0700, you wrote:
>On Tuesday 29 July 2003 08:12, Natasha Vita-More wrote:
> > The questions is whether Steve Mann, out of desire, is more of a cybernetic
> > mechanism than someone who has integrated computers and synthetic systems
> > into their bodies out of life-preserving necessity (and, as much,
> > evolutionary). In the latter, the emotions and psyche are forever altered
> > in regards to the personal relationship of machine/biology as a by-part of
> > having a developed a sense of dependency and earned respect for the
> > relationship. Manfred Clynes described the need for humans to artificially
> > enhance biological functions in order to survive in the hostile environment
> > of Space.
>
>The emotions and psyche are forever altered in Steve Mann's case. He can't
>even function hardly at all without his cybernetic enhancements. That is how
>integrated they have become. It has very much altered his views of reality
>and its possibilities and altered his day to day functionng. He is very
>dependent on these aids mentally, psychologically and perceptually at this
>point. Enough?
Are you arguing? I don't get the "enough" comment.
The point is that there is a very fine line between having to have augments
and self-designing augments and the issue I find most interesting is the
psychological one. I am not supporting either school, but find both very
important for the future transhuman/posthuman.
Natasha
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