Cyborg Citizen: Politics in the Posthuman Age (Hardcover)

by Chris Habl Gray (Author) "In 1995, Christopher Reeve, the actor famous for portraying Superman in the movies, fell from his horse Buck and became a quadriplegic..." (more)
Key Phrases: medical cyborgs, cyborg medicine, cyborg technosciences, United States, Donna Haraway, Christopher Reeve (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Some great science fiction has asked about robots and the right to vote--but what happens when we're 51 percent artificial ourselves? Cyberculture scholar Chris Hables Gray looks at the ever-changing human body in Cyborg Citizen: Politics in the Posthuman Age and makes some well-educated guesses on the makeup of the future cybernetic body politic. Though he does go out of his way to remind the reader that nearly all of us are bioenhanced (that is a vaccination scar, isn't it?), he's neither a chrome-eyed Extropian nor a Rifkinesque fear-mongerer. His thesis is refreshingly simple in a world overfilled with postmodern complexity: we're changing our bodies more and more radically, and we ought to think about how this will change our way of life.

Examining health care, social interactions, and politics, Gray's focus is largely on particular modifications and enhancements such as prosthetic limbs, artificial organs, performance-enhancing drugs, and their descendants. The book never dips into freak show territory, though; even if Gray uses colorful examples to illustrate his points, he still maintains a humanistic attitude throughout. His simple thesis, coupled with this attitude, create a web of thought that is simultaneously entertaining and enlightening. Though our track record on preemptively dealing with change is spotty at best, reading Cyborg Citizen is still a good prescription for keeping the posthuman jitters at bay. --Rob Lightner

Review
[An] eruption of tomorrow's topics... -- Andrei Yuri Lubomudrov, Willamette Week
...insightful and well formulated. -- Andrei Yuri Lubomudrov, Willamette Week
An intriguing social survey perfect for discussion groups. -- Reviewer's Bookwatch
...a supremely readable book, enlivened by weird science and slap-shot one-liners. -- Wired, Mark Dery
...Cyborg Citizen is a ripping good yarn-just the thing for Dr. Moreau's waiting room. -- Wired, Mark Dery
Cyborg Citizen is an accessible, comprehensive, and intelligent guide to the complexities of citizenship in the posthuman world. Sprinkled with first-person accounts, Cyborg Citizen is no dry academic treatise but an invaluable and useful guide to the ethical challenges of a future that is already upon us. -- Katherine Hayles, UCLA
Chris Gray is emerging as one of the most important thinkers about the effects of new technologies on society. Gray's intelligent, humane and hyperactive mind ranges across anastonishing array of phenomena from the effects of the internet and genetic engineering to the history of the vibrator and the Pentagon's plans for a new generation of cyborg warriors. Gray's encyclopedic mind, his refreshingly energetic prose, and his progressive politics make him an engaging guide to the promises and perils of 21st century technology. An avowed 'Jeffersonian anarchist,' his perspective is always original, informed, and intelligent. -- Hugh Gusterson, MIT
The book is composed of 14 chapters in four parts, with an outstanding bibliopgraphy and a good index. Of greater interest may be the book's Web Site... which give this book a life that goes beyond the limits of its pages. J. Beidler, Choice, October 2001.
Volume 31
Cyborg Citizen provides an excellent introduction to the new normal and it is a worthy contribution to Chris Hables Gray ongoing project. -- Veronica Hollinger, Science Fiction Studies

[An] eruption of tomorrows topics... -- Andrei Yuri Lubomudrov, Willamette Week
...insightful and well formulated. -- Andrei Yuri Lubomudrov, Willamette Week
An intriguing social survey perfect for discussion groups. -- Reviewers Bookwatch
...a supremely readable book, enlivened by weird science and slap-shot one-liners. -- Wired, Mark Dery
...Cyborg Citizen is a ripping good yarn-just the thing for Dr. Moreaus waiting room. -- Wired, Mark Dery
Cyborg Citizen is an accessible, comprehensive, and intelligent guide to the complexities of citizenship in the posthuman world. Sprinkled with first-person accounts, Cyborg Citizen is no dry academic treatise but an invaluable and useful guide to the ethical challenges of a future that is already upon us. -- Katherine Hayles, UCLA
Chris Gray is emerging as one of the most important thinkers about the effects of new technologies on society. Grays intelligent, humane and hyperactive mind ranges across an astonishing array of phenomena from the effects of the internet and genetic engineering to the history of the vibrator and the Pentagons plans for a new generation of cyborg warriors. Grays encyclopedic mind, his refreshingly energetic prose, and his progressive politics make him an engaging guide to the promises and perils of 21st century technology. An avowed Jeffersonian anarchist, his perspective is always original, informed, and intelligent. -- Hugh Gusterson, MIT
The book is composed of 14 chapters in four parts, with an outstanding bibliopgraphy and a good index. Of greater interest may be the books Web Site... which give this book a life that goes beyond the limits of its pages. J. Beidler, Choice, October 2001.
Volume 31
Cyborg Citizen provides an excellent introduction to the new normal and it is a worthy contribution to Chris Hables Gray ongoing project. -- Veronica Hollinger, Science Fiction Studies

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415919789
• ISBN-13: 978-0415919784
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,850,946 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Almost achieves coherence, but not quite, March 31, 2002

By A Customer

Why does it seem that all books written about human interaction with emerging technologies are written in postmodernist lingo? Gray's book is not nearly as objectionable in this regard as others (note, especially, the works of Pierre Levy, for truly awe-inspiring levels of incomprehensibiliy). At times he hits on topics that struck me as having a lot of merit (he takes the editors of WIRED to task, for instance, for promoting a sort of hipster-oh-man-this-is-so-awesome approach to technology, and he appropriately skewers libertarianism, etc.). However, I saw two main problems with the book: (1) The author appears to see everything and everybody in the world today as a cyborg of some sort - for example, ultrasound renders the fetus in the womb a cyborg, etc. The concept is so widely applied that it ceases to have meaning. (2) The regrettable lapses into postmodernist drivel, while thankfully infrequent are still discouraging. There is also a little (not a lot) of political correctness a la feminist theory to deal with. For instance, he spends some time skewering (no pun intended) the development of penile implants (cyborg penises!), and points out that the existence of such a phenomena validates the male-centric nature of technology so insightfully criticized by feminist theory. Odd, but no mention of breast implants is made. Purely an oversight, I'm sure!

There are so many serious topics to deal with in the area of our current and future relation to technology - when will someone write a coherent book addressing them?? While this book is an occasionally enjoyable read, in the end it can't be taken all that seriously.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A man with a vision, February 7, 2005

By	The Vanatru Techno Maven "Pendula" (Montana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cyborg Citizen: Politics in the Posthuman Age (Paperback)

Not only does his book have a dazzling perspective into all the ways that the body is modified within modern practice he also brings it to a level that even the most novice of readers can grasp. Having been a philosophy student of Mr. Gray's in 1997 I must say it is not quite as enlightening as being in person with him, but it still shows his brilliance and true connection to the cyborg-mentality. Frankly if you can find a way to meet him, every second is worth it. But if you can't, this book is a good close second, and well worth your $ and reading time.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Half of a dissapointment, March 23, 2006

By	Hamilton S. Whitney - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cyborg Citizen: Politics in the Posthuman Age (Paperback)

I had a high level of interest upon picking up this book, as cyborg technology and the philosophy behind it, after reading it; however, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I gave it a rating of 3 stars, but I think it deserves more along the lines of a 2.5. This book professes to be about cyborgs, and it is, but Gray's definition of "cyborg" is so incredibly broad that it loses a huge part of its relevancy. He defines a cyborg as "a self-regulating organism that combines the natural and artificial into one system," and takes that as far as it can possibly go, calling unborn fetuses cyborgs if they are viewed by ultrasound, and the average citizen a cyborg for having immunizations. I am a cyborg because I wear glasses.

One aspect of this book that struck me is that nearly everything Gray discusses seems to be along the lines of either common sense of common knowledge to the type of person who would be reading this book in the first place. It is useful as a reference material to springboard off of and steal a few quotes, or perhaps a simple overview of some of the politics of a technological society, but not much more.

By the end of this book, one is tired of the completely over-used word "cyborg"; as it seems to apply to nearly everything and everyone in today's society; as well as Gray's frequent references to the late Christopher Reeves. Like so many movies today, this book is worth a borrow, but I wouldn't plop down my hard earned money for it. If you are looking for in-depth research surrounding the technolgy of cyborgs, look elsewhere.