From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Sat Jul 07 2001 - 13:44:37 MDT
hal@finney.org wrote:
>
> Mike Lorrey, <mlorrey@datamann.com>, writes:
> > While some may take peruile pleasure at seeing themselves as such,
> > especially if they are of a socialist or pro-borg bent, some of us do
> > not.
>
> Being a socialist has nothing to do with whether you consider yourself
> a cyborg. You seem to have gotten confused by the Star Trek name "Borg"
> and think that cyborgs are collective entities. Instead, cyborgs
> are cybernetic organisms, that is, organisms which have cybernetic
> enhancements or implants. It has nothing to do with socialism.
> Cyborgs could be of any political party whatsoever.
Yes they could, and I did not confuse the names. The Borg is a
collective mind of cyborg drones. The problem with the term cyborg is
that it is forever associated with a zombie-like, less than human
condition, arising from idealization of the unaltered, uninjured human
form: Robocop may be strong and smart and a good shot, but he is cripped
emotionally by the corporation programming and editing of his memories.
Delightedly using the word as a self referent automatically triggers
emotional and preexisting reflexes in people's minds from cheap B movies
and bad TV scifi. Its just a bad move in the war of semantics.
>
> Obviously today the opportunities for cybernetic enhancement are limited.
> I took the thrust of Helen's question to be a matter of self-definition.
> Some people may think of themselves as cyborgs, or proto-cyborgs, in
> that they choose to take advantage of whatever cybernetic opportunities
> are available. To the maximum degree possible, they simulate the effect
> of having cybernetic implants. Perhaps they carry a wireless Internet
> access device and/or wear a heads-up display.
>
> Some of these people may define themselves as cyborgs in order to direct
> and focus their thoughts towards future enhancements. To some extent,
> you are what you define yourself to be, what you choose to be. It is
> these people that Helen is hoping to contact.
Yes, I understand her intent completely. However, I stand by my position
that to embrace the word cyborg as a self referent is to embrace
mundanes prejudices as accurate reflections of a transhumanists point of
view.
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