How We Became Posthuman: Virtual
Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature,
and Informatics by N. Katherine
Hayles
Redefining What Human Is -- Into The 22Nd Century
The title of this scholarly yet remarkably accessible slice of contemporary
cultural history has a whiff of paradox about it: what can it mean, exactly,
to say that we humans have become something other than human? The
answer, Katherine Hayles explains, lies not in ourselves but in our tools.
Ever since the invention of electronic computers five decades ago, these
powerful new machines have inspired a shift in how we define ourselves
both as individuals and as a species. Hayles tracks this shift across the
history of avant-garde computer theory, starting with Norbert Weiner and
other early cyberneticists, who were the first to systematically explore the
similarities between living and computing systems. Hayless study ends
with artificial-life specialists, many of whom no longer even bother to
distinguish between life forms and computers. Along the way she shows

these thinkers struggling to reconcile their traditional, Western notions of
human identity with the unsettling, cyborg directions in which their own
work seems to be leading humanity. This is more than just the story of a
geek elite, however. Hayles looks at cybernetically inspired science fiction
by the likes of Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, and Neal Stephenson to
show how the larger culture grapples with the same issues that dog the
technologists. She also draws lucidly on her own broad grasp of
contemporary philosophy both to contextualize those issues and to
contend with them herself. The result is a fascinating introduction--and a
valuable addition--to one of the most important currents in recent
intellectual history. --Julian Dibbell
Personal Review: How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies
in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics by N. Katherine
Hayles
Yes, this is 22nd Century thinking today. I was fortunate enough to meet
the author at a LA FUTURISTS SOCIETY meeting where she was a guest
speaker. She looks ordinary-- like a college professor-type, speaks clearly
but her writing is the extraordinary talent. She combines humanism and
science to see how virtual bodies and informatics are influencing how we
live, work and love. One of those books that yearns for you to write in the
margins and put your notes in the back. Pages and pages of notes on my
copy. No one will share this copy, don't even ask!!!! Not an easy read but
well worth the journey. I love to read books in hours or days but this one
took weeks (in between other reading) and it was well worth every minute,
hour, day spent. Perfect book for this summer when the MACHINES ARE
TAKING OVER on our screens at movies and television. The crossover
from cybernetics to literature is what is so fascinating. I can't begin to
summarize all that I learned and all the questions that it brought up for me
to seek out more info. Belongs on every science and literature teacher's
shelf. One of the books they should require for every engineer and techie
at the beginning of their careers. Make way for the future!!!!!
For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:
How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics
by N. Katherine Hayles 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price!