By: Eryl McCaffrey
Up until the late twentieth century, reigning ontological debates posed that "Man" was at the centre of all things. At the heart of this concept is rational humanism. The perspective maintains that there is such a thing as human essence; what ties all humans together is their ability to rationalize. Radical Feminist, Donna Haraway contributed significantly to this debate by way of opposition. Haraway's "A Cyborg Manifesto" challenges the very basic notion that there is something universal about human beings. In contrast, Haraway argues that society must acknowledge difference in race, class and gender rather than ignore these aspects. At the root of her theory is the notion that our gender identities are culturally constructed and absolutely not inevitable or essential. Haraway argues that the adoption of a cyborgian identity will allow one to be freed of these myths of origin and only then can one truly navigate and control the direction of their life. The concept here is one of transgression, of blurring boundaries and of embracing technology with responsibility.
A far cry from her science fiction counterparts whose literal interpretation of the cyborg is robotic and blood-hungry, Haraway's cyborg acts a metaphor for a new kind of identity and way of thinking. The self-proclaimed cyborg aims to mobilize women and other minorities by way of new philosophies that challenge contemporary conceptions of humanity. Haraway offers such ideas because she finds rational humanism to be problematic, simplistic and damaging. Haraway highlights her primary concerns with this narrow viewpoint: "The close ties of sexuality and instrumentality, of views of the body as a kind of private satisfaction- and utility- maximizing machine, are described nicely in sociobiological origin stories that stress a genetic calculus and explain the inevitable dialectic of domination of male and female gender roles" (89). She argues that scientific and biological explanations are used to justify the origin of gender. Furthermore, rigid binaries formed under rational humanism such as man/woman and self/other are ubiquitous in our culture and destructive in their effects. Individuals are taught from a very young age that, not only are there two genders in this world but that if they do not fall into all other dualistic categories they will be ostracized and identified as sub-human.
Hari Kunzru responds to Haraway's critique in "You Are Cyborg." He describes the negative impact of gender role myths: "Women for generations were told that they were "naturally" weak, submissive, overemotional, and incapable of abstract thought. That it was "in their nature" to be mothers rather than corporate raiders, to prefer parlor games to particle physics. If all these things are natural, they're unchangeable. End of story. Return to the kitchen. Do not pass Go" (Kunzru). In order to escape oppression, Kunzru offers that women should view their gender as not natural, but rather as constructed. If one views their identity as culturally constructed, they can begin the process of deconstruction and reconstruction, and eventually achieve personal freedom. Becoming a cyborg does not always mean literally melding machine and human. As Haraway states, identifying oneself as a cyborg can be both metaphorical and liberating.
In her essay, Haraway offers a solution to the potential problems of rational humanism. She argues that in order to move beyond damaging binaries society must recognize who is being privileged over others in the perspective. Once this distinction has been made, a new type of thinking can dominate that adjusts to current social realities by incorporating all individuals (privileged or not) into the picture. Haraway's cyborg is about non-definition, multiplicity and hybridity. It offers equal room for contradictory and dissenting viewpoints. The symbolic cyborg can represent equality, "Stripped of identity, the bastard race teaches about the power of the margins and the importance of a mother like Malinche" (Haraway 95). Malinche is a figurative representation of Haraway's cyborg. She is the master of the new world, and embraces having no natural origin. A real world example of such a cyborg is model, athlete and activist Aimee Mullins. With double prosthetic legs, Aimee acts as the voice for disabled individuals. Owning over 12 different pairs of prosthetic legs allows her to change up her look and her height, which can range from 5 ft 8 to 6 ft 1. She is a true embodiment of Haraway's cyborg; Aimee transgresses cultural boundaries, embraces an unstable and ever-changing identity and she doesn't apologize for it. The impressive individual embraced an identity that is fractured, undefined and independent of cultural norms and in doing so, she freed herself.
To conclude, Donna Haraway's "A Cyborg Manifesto" broke new ground with its philosophies on gender identity and myths of origin. Haraway examines feminist philosophy in a critical way, acknowledging that it may be outdated and exclusionary of individuals from minorities. A cyborgian point of view embraces gender, racial and social differences and create a rhetoric that encourages a pastiche of identity categories. Haraway says, "From the point of view of pleasure in these potent and taboo fusions, made inevitable by the social relations of science and technology, there might indeed be a feminist science" (92). The philosopher argues that a new type of feminism can be developed if we all subsume a cyborgian stance. Finally, Haraway's conceptualization of the cyborg also emphasizes technological responsibility and pushes aside apathy. The idea here is that when one accepts the notion of being without origin, and reconceptualizes technical domination, they can begin to direct the course of technological innovation. The goal is to be part of this type of progression and not left on the sidelines, waiting to be formed and shaped by the associated social impacts. For Haraway, the cyborg acts as a vehicle which transports people to a future where the marginalized overwhelm the privileged, and difference is celebrated rather than condemned.
Works Cited
"Aimee Mullins - The Colbert Report - 4/15/10 - Video Clip | Comedy Central." Colbert Nation | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/271372/april-15-2010/aimee-mullins>.
Haraway, Donna Jeanne. A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-feminism in the Late Twentieth Century. Ed. Neil Badmington. New York: Palgrave, 2000. Print.
Kunzru, Hari. "Feature." Wired.com. 01 Feb. 1997. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.02/ffharaway.html>.
