Paul Weissfellner
The Cyborg Manifesto
According to Donna Haraway, human society is in the midst of a huge shift that wil redefine traditional relationships and reshape how humans view the world. The boundaries that once served to divide up the natural world so neatly are slowly shifting and dissolving, leaving a more confusing, holistic view of the world and everything in it; no longer are humans considered separate from animals or from machines. Indeed, in many capacities, humans often work so closely with one or both so as to be indistinguishable from each other. Another shift that Haraway talks about is from identity to affinity; that is, from groups that form simply because of who people are, to groups that form because people choose to be a part of them.
Haraway brings up interesting points, especially with regard to my rock. If there is no meaningful difference between humans and nature, then that does that mean for the rock? It sits at an intersection, but, according to her, that intersection does not even exist.
Interesting ideas about how your rock conflicts with Haraway’s theory. I would say that Haraway tries to convey that modern technology blurs the boundary — but that does not mean the boundary ceases to exist. I remember you discussed what it meant if either humans or nature placed the rock. If humans placed the rock there, then in some way modern technology has allowed us to move rocks just like glaciers and stuff in nature once did. This implies that humans and nature are becoming more similar.