What is a Cyborg?

The word “Cyborg” lends itself to a rather straightforward definition: it is a melding of the terms cybernetic and organism. The idea of melding man with machine is an ancient one. Norbert Weiner, in his book Cybernetics (1948), cites the source of the word as “kybernetes,” a Greek term which means helmsman or pilot. One of the earliest examples of man and machine coming together is the myth of Icarus. The myth of Icarus is a very fitting metaphor for the plight of cyborgs, because it illustrates not only man’s desire to take control and “steer” his own destiny, but also the hamartia which we as humans encounter in doing so – the belief that we are infallible.
Icarus was the son of a great inventor named Daedalus, who was imprisoned in a tower in Crete. In order to escape, he fabricated a set of wings for himself and his son out of feathers and wax. Despite the warning he had given his son not to fly too close to the sun, lest his wings melt, his son was so invigorated with the experience of flying that he chose to soar higher and higher. Icarus then fell to his demise, plunging into the sea.
Daedalus’ invention of wings to save himself from the fate of imprisonment is a more noble example of cyborgian innovation than the androids in Philip K. Dick’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? In Dick’s future dystopia, one of the main functions of androids are to serve humans. This selfish motivation for the creation of cyborgs is perhaps the reason why this novel has such a bleak outlook for the future of society, where earth is contaminated to a nearly unlivable degree by nuclear fallout and a much of the population suffers from genetic damage. It is, in a way, telling us not to use technology to enable ourselves to be continually lazy, lest our wings melt and we, too, fall to the depths of the ocean.
While the pursuit of technology is surely the answer to many of the problems that plague humanity, man must not let his hubris lead to his ultimate demise. The perspective that one can “do no wrong” can be a very damning and lead to a variety of mistakes and problems being overlooked out of simple arrogance. This is an especially unacceptable mistake for humans to make, because as the saying goes “To err is human.” Although this concept has been fetishized in much of the cyberpunk genre, an early illustration of similar thought is found in the Bible. In the book of Genesis, while Sodom and Gomorrah are being destroyed, the wife of Lot is told not to look back at the burning cities or else she will be turned into a pillar of salt. She ultimately looks, as did Orpheus for Eurydice, and thusly becomes a pillar of salt. This example illustrates human emotion and the feeling of nostalgia overwhelming the ability to use logic and reason. The wife of Lot chooses to gaze upon the city to which she feels a strong connection rather than continue existing, being unable to experience the pain of seeing her home destroyed. Even though pain is a negative emotion, it is more desirable to her than none at all.
Ultimately, fusing human entities with computers will lead to the end of suffering for many who have biological dysfunction or illness. To upload one’s consciousness may be a way to eliminate the suffering of many. I personally look forward to being liberated from my corporeal body and fusing my consciousness with a machine linked to the Internet. When I log on it, let it be forever.


Works Cited
http://www.asc-cybernetics.org/foundations/definitions.htm