Erik Buckingham                                                         approximately 150 words

ekb7@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD 105-19: Science Writing

“A Cyborg Manifesto” Summary

By: Erik Buckingham

Many people feel that the boundary between humans and nature is becoming blurrier. Feminist writer Donna Haraway states in “A Cyborg Manifesto” that “Biology and Evolutionary theory over the last two centuries has… reduced the line between humans and animals to a faint trace.” We as a Geneseo community have personified the Suess Spruce by recognizing it as a symbol of perseverance. Through this interaction, we are eliminating boundaries between humans and nature.

Despite her view on animals and nature, Haraway feels that humans continue to recognize our differences in regards to gender, race and sexuality. She feels that our coexistence with other organisms is getting better, however, we are placing social barriers between our own species. By eliminating barriers between social differences, Haraway feels that a “cyborg” is formed. Eliminating our differences altogether leaves no room for cultural celebration.

Sarah Lambert                                                                                 about 150 words
sel15@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing

“The Cyborg Manifesto” Response
By Sarah Lambert

In her piece, “A Cyborg Manifesto,” Haraway asserts her opinion that society should dissolve the boundaries between race, gender, class, etc. and embrace the image of cyborgs. Though Haraway explains the cyborg’s inherent irreverence, her assertion strengthens through the illustration of how cyborgs break down the boundaries between three aspects of society.  Haraway describes the way that the boundaries between animals and humans, organisms and machines, and the physical and non-physical can all be broken down by the acceptance of this cyborg image.

Haraway dissects society and other feminist views to assert the idea that one must be all inclusive rather than exclusive to advance our “politics rooted in…changes.” However, how does Haraway plan on unifying a world so divided “by [its] terrible historical experience?”

This idea of breaking down barriers ties directly into my mini-essay focused on the truly non-existent barrier between man and nature.

Robert Romano

rjr12@geneseo.edu

Humans Are Not Cyborgs

“Late twentieth-century machines have made thoroughly ambiguous the difference between natural and artificial, mind and body, self- developing and externally designed, and many other distinctions that used to apply to organisms and machines” is a statement stated by Donna Haraway that is extremely controversial and opinionated.

The main idea in this writing is the belief that people (specifically women) must be liberated from a patriarchal society and from a culture being taken over by technology. Donna Haraway’s piece is extremely ironic because she emphasizes the point that no human being should express individuality and that we must all be labeled under the same group. In reality, we should embrace our differences and cherish our uniqueness because if human beings are not different from each other, then we are indeed all cyborgs.

I found the author’s ideas to be very opinionated and I do not see her ideas connecting in anyway way to my object in my mini-essay.

Alexis Baer                                                                                        about 150 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD: Writing Science

“The Cyborg Manifesto” Reflection
by Alexis Baer

Writer, Donna Haraway, is a woman who strongly supports, promotes, and defends feminism against numerous inequalities. When the “The Cyborg Manifesto” was created, her main concepts included boundaries between human and animals, the use of technology increasing artificiality, and the physical and non-physical. Haraway explains the “cyborg” to the audience as a political myth that human fault has essentially created due to advances in modern technology. This creature is constantly being used as a metaphor; besides the humankind population and technology, it also incorporates different cultures, emotions, nature, race, gender, and science modification. One of Haraway’s points in the essay involves today’s generation slowly becoming more similar to “chimeras”, this allowed me to realize that humans are becoming conditioned and trained to certain traditions where nothing is or seems to be natural anymore. A few of her arguments can be applied to the objects we have chosen because they represent the boundary between the natural and artificial.

Rachael Natoli                                                             Approximately 250 words

rln5@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing

A Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Haraway brings up the idea of boundaries and relates them to feminism. Specifically the boundaries between human and animal and between organism and machine. She first brings up the metaphor that the rest of the article revolves around, this metaphor is the cyborg.

The cyborg in her metaphor is a boundary between machine and human or between fiction and lived experience. “The cyborg is a creature in a post-gender world…” meaning that cyborgs have no specific gender. Haraway explains that society should promote unity of genders rather than enforcing the labels of female and male. When she spoke about the boundaries between human and machine being broken it related to my text because it gave many examples of the way humans have created machines or man made objects that help humans in some way just like the gazebo does.

Mike Emanuele
“The Cyborg Manifesto” by Donna Haraway is an ironic look at the women, technology, and politics in modern day. The passage is about the advancement of the human species, beyond male or female. A cyborg. Haraway describes a cyborg as a cybernetic organism that is beyond gender, bisexuality, and social issues in the modern era. The existence of the cyborg takes place in a time after her described patriarchy is taken down along with racism and white capitalism. Her points mostly consist of the flaws in current humanity such as labor class struggles or gender identity. Questions I had while reading consist of the difference between the marxist feminists and socialist feminists. However, this is mostly because I’m unfamiliar with feminism in general. Haraway’s passage connects to my mini essay in a contradiction. My argument in my essay is how unique mankind can be likewise to nature. Haraway claims that all of humanity will become common cyborgs, a collection of humanity into a hive mind. One race, one gender, all the same socially.

Simon Lee                                                                     Approximately  150 Words

Shl5@geneseo.edu

Scientific Writing 105-19

A Cyborg Manifesto 

By Simon Lee

In A Cyborg Manifesto, Donna Haraway introduces three important boundaries that are broken. The first boundary is between man and animals. Haraway says that there is nothing that distinctly separates humans and animals and in fact people don’t even feel there is a need for separation.  This is why Haraway says this boundary has been “thoroughly breached”. The second and third boundaries are between man and machine and the physical and non-physical. In the past a machine “could not achieve man’s dream, only mock it”. However, with all the advances in technology and uses of these items in everyday life, these boundaries have been broken. She then goes on about how although all these different barriers have been overcome yet, humans still use gender and race as boundaries between humans. Haraway’s idea of the boundary between humans and the natural world becoming more and more ambiguous is exactly what the mini essay of The Greek Tree is about.

Jason Gerbsch                                                             Approximately 250 words

jg33@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing

In her essay, “a Cyborg Manifesto”, Haraway has three crucial points that she uses to support her argument on the ways humans have crossed boundaries.  Haraway uses the idea of a cyborg throughout the essay and as a reference point in her three points.

Firstly she covers the boundary of human and animal.  Previously the two remained separated, but now the the theory of evolution and scientific breakthroughs in genetic engineering have blurred this line.  Humans have encroached on the boundary of nature.

The second point she makes is that boundary between man and machine becomes increasingly blurry.  Haraway, points out that as medicine has become more and more advanced, humans are starting to include more artificial parts to themselves (eg prosthetics, enhancement devices such as hearing aids, etc.).  Not to mention that many household appliances and devices we rely on are becoming more and more lifelike, speaking, having personalities, etc.

The third point Haraway makes is the boundary between physical and non-physical.  Whereas much of industry and machines in general used to be physical, big machines with gears and belts and the like, nowadays much of our machines are a facade.  Many are now run by small chips or motherboards full of information, such information we know is there, but intangible. In summary machines are not as “physical” as they once were, becoming more now shells in which to shelter their programming.

Justin D’Souza                                                                               About 160 words   SUNY Geneseo                                                                                                           INTD 105 Science Writing

Haraway’s “Cyborg”

By Justin D’Souza

The word “cyborg” evokes images of strange human hybrids, products of an apocalyptic future. Yet, feminist Donna Haraway envisions the cyborg as a being that unites humans and animals, challenges the conventional definition of identity, and exemplifies how modern technology has blurred traditional boundaries between humanity and our universe. She hopes her “Cyborg myth” conveys “transgressed boundaries,” leading us to reject traditional separation of “mind and body, animal and machine.” She argues these false dualisms frequently emerge in socialist and feminist thinkers; therefore, she finds flaws with current ideology. To her, feminism must not be rooted in Marxist labor class struggles, but novel technological breakthroughs that will redefine gender, race, and class.

I wonder if today’s changes in both cybernetics and social thought regarding feminism and liberal policies have caused Haraway to revise her theory. Her ideas can be applied to our objects, as she conveys the benefits of blurring boundaries between humans and nature, just as the Arboretum sign encourages coexistence between humans and trees.

Hunter Cowles                                                                                About 250 words

INTD: Science Writing

hc17@geneseo.edu

We Change with the Leaves

By: Hunter Cowles

 The ivy stretches up the side of Sturges Hall’s northern wall, green and coiled like a snake preparing to strike. Beneath the layers of ivy the glass from the windows glints in the sunlight like a buried treasure waiting to be discovered. Much like this ivy, we have all be come one with our campus, both physically and emotionally. The student must endure the harsh winter and soak in the comforting glow from the Geneseo sunsets. Most of all the ivy’s resilience reminds us of one thing: we must endure all the adversity that awaits us in these upcoming years at Suny Geneseo. This robust plant breathes life into the campus and has a unique story behind it the same way each and every student has their own distinctive contributions to the college atmosphere. As the year progresses, the leaves will turn from a emerald green to an array of autumn  colors. The students will also begin to show their true metaphorical “colors” as they begin to conquer their shyness and begin to find where they belong. Although many would consider the city peoples’ boisterous natures and the suburban students’ amiable personalities contradictory , Geneseo proves that these two very different groups can exist harmoniously. From the nature on our scenic campus we can take so much inspiration and use that motivation to achieve our aspirations.