What are Cybernetic Organisms?
Why would we let them run our societies? What would they do once in power? Many books and movies attempt to answer these questions but, as the saying goes, reality is stranger than fiction. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a “cyborg”– short for “cybernetic organism” — as “a human who has certain physiological processes aided or controlled by mechanical or electronic devices.” By this definition, we have thousands of cyborgs living among us right now: anyone who has a pacemaker to promote a normal heartbeat, a prosthetic leg with electronic motors, or wears a hearing aid. While many of these prostheses are designed to replace lost abilities, others are designed to enhance ones that already work. A company called Cyberkinetics recently received government approval to test a neural prosthesis that would allow humans with severe paralysis to send commands to a computer using only their thoughts. If this technology works, then people who aren’t paralyzed might also be able to use
“Cybernetic organism” is the long version of the more familiar term “cyborg,” a self-regulation organism that contains a combination of natural and artificial components. Cybernetic organisms have frequently been featured in fiction as well as philosophical explorations of the topic. Often, cyborgs have been presented in dystopic contexts, thought to be an expression of our society’s discomfort with reliance on technology and desire to revert back to a more “natural” state. According to some definitions, and the analyses of many thinkers on the topic, humans are already cybernetic organisms. Witness how closely we are already integrated with technology – simple tools such as a pen and paper, glasses, or more advanced medical prostheses such as pacemakers may be considered the early harbingers of humanity’s transition into a more cybernetic form. Futurists such as Ray Kurzweil have argued that in the coming decades we will inevitably become even more cybernetic, and embrace the merger o
“Cybernetic organism†is the long version of the more familiar term “cyborg,†a self-regulation organism that contains a combination of natural and artificial components. Cybernetic organisms have frequently been featured in fiction as well as philosophical explorations of the topic. Often, cyborgs have been presented in dystopic contexts, thought to be an expression of our society’s discomfort with reliance on technology and desire to revert back to a more “natural†state. According to some definitions, and the analyses of many thinkers on the topic, humans are already cybernetic organisms. Witness how closely we are already integrated with technology — simple tools such as a pen and paper, glasses, or more advanced medical prostheses such as pacemakers may be considered the early harbingers of humanity’s transition into a more cybernetic form. Futurists such as Ray Kurzweil have argued that in the coming decades we will inevitably become even more cybernetic, and embra
