The Cyborg Handbook

By Heidi J. Figueroa-Sarriera

Book Overview

The Cyborg (short for cybernetic organism) is an entity that mixes the mechanic and the organic, for example people who have implanted pacemakers. The Cyborg Handbook is an initial look at cyborg society and at the range of cyborg technologies.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415908493
• ISBN13: 9780415908498
• Release Date: October 1995
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 568 Pages
• Weight: 2.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.8" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Essentia,seminal text

This text was constantly being referred to in my research and with good reason:it be absolutely essential for any serious researcher/scholar/artist etc. of Cyborg Theory/Cyberculture Studies.

A Perfectionist's Perspective on The Cyborg Handbook

Introduction The Cyborg Handbook, a compendium of articles and interviews about prosthetics and the historical impact of the human/machine "cyborgs" that the book contends now roam our planet and solar system is a wonderful read for many reasons. The primary thinker behind this avenue of educational effort is University of California, History of Consciousness Professor Donna Haraway. Her forward to the text, Cyborgs and Symbionts: Living Together in the New World Order, intends to further feminist thought, but rises above the boring, stereotypical dualities of oppressive stories such as female victim/male violator as her prose cannot be summed up by any one ontology. However this same escape from any particular system of knowledge, this attempt to transcend analysis and instead align her text with many diverse narratives, is also her weakness. This review will address both the positive, thought-provoking aspects of the book and, on the other hand, the failings of the book which are less specific in nature and more of a literal bend. Body In a broad sweep The Cyborg Handbook uses Haraway's analysis of cyborg narrative to relocate the "history of cyborgs" focusing on the field of medicine, the military and aerospace industries, the anti-racist struggles of Africa, anthropology, political processes and science-fiction. The chapters on aerospace and military cyborgs are particularly intriguing. "Cyborgs" such as fighter pilot/autopilot, the robot character in the film Short-Circuit who "transcends" its programming to become a sentient, peace activist and many others are addressed. In an interview with Patricia Cowlings, the director of the Ames-NASA psychophysiology laboratory, ones learns that Cowlings has, with the help of one other investigator, practically conquered extraterrestrial motion-sickness, a problem that has plagued NASA since the beginning of its manned space flights program. The interview showcases what may be a surprise to many liberal readers; the US "shock and awe" industry is one of the most open-minded businesses in the world today. Cowlings solution to micro-gravity, motion sickness is one clear instance of this open mindedness: NASA had been searching for decades to cure their problem of motion sickness in their astronauts; they had primarily been exploring pharmaceutical research, but after many abject failures were ready to try anything, even including alternative therapies like acupuncture. In marched Doctor Patricia Cowlings with a background in "biofeedback." A less mainstream approach to a mainstream problem has never existed. Although she used scientific methodology to develop her research, her goal was unheard of at the time. She intended to make astronauts aware of there physiology in miniscule ways. She states that she can make a trainee aware of the exterior pulse of the pinky finger of the right hand. Of course the training is accomplished in a "cyborg" fashion where body signs including blood pressure, lu

Holding a coveted spot on my shelf

I would not suggest this book for someone looking for a quick, easy answer to the world of cyborgs. There are papers here from dozens of authors, each talking about a wholly different aspect of the cyborg - some cover the idea that technology has already turned many of us into cyborgs, others that fetuses are cyborgs, some stick with the traditional notion of the cyborg as half-man half-machine, some examine the role of the cyborg in film. It takes all kinds. And, in sturdy academic practice, some of the authors even give gentle jabs to other papers in the book, noting flaws or the overlooking of some fine point. Most of the research draws from Donna Haraway's original research into cyborgs, but there are a few people that are trying to break away from her hegemonistic mold. For a very entertaining and much needed example of this, try to find the two or three digs at Donna Haraway's definition of cyborg.This book is one of the most invaluable resources for anyone doing serious research into the idea of the cyborg. Though there is a great interview with Clynes, co-inventer of the term "cyborg," The Cyborg Handbook won't do for primary source material. The bibliography is wildly extensive, however, and the book functions as an excellent starting point for the researcher. For those who aren't afraid to work for it, but who have a more casual interest, this book can be both a starting and ending point.

We Have Been Assimilated

Chris Hables Gray has created an exquisitely thought provoking cross disciplinary anthology exploring the evolution of cyborg and machine intelligence on the organism called Earth. The non-linear multi-dimensional threads of what is obviously a three dimensional and linear data source leads the reader to a deeper understanding of our organic technological and social crucible of biochemistry and machine. I am using this book as a resource for a graduate course and will probably adopt it as a textbook in the future.

Highly stimulating yet dry at times

This hefty tome is a real find for those who like a little science with their fiction. The basic premise is that in one way or another most of humanity is already a CYBORG. The definition is a bit broader than say Arnold in the Terminator and encompasses everything from fillings and eyeglasses to using a computer. I enjoyed the exploration of the CYBORG as a media icon. The technical discussions and NASA reports were a bit dry but do add to the overall credibility of the subject. This book is a real winner and anyone interested in the interaction of politics,philosophy and the human body will enjoy it.