The cyborg, a common figure found throughout science fiction literature, has often been constructed as an evil doppelganger-a monstrosity not meant to augment human life but instead replace it.
For influential essay writer of "Cyborg Manifesto," Donna Haraway, cyborg life is not something to be feared, but applauded for its potential to make us better.
Humans have the potential to not only overcome their physical limitations, but also redefine themselves by way of additional technologies.
Haraway, in her essay, breaks down the role of medical technology in changing how we perceive our humanity in light of technological advancements.
Because of added hardware to human wetware, as explained in the movie Hackers, we can be classified as cyborgs.
Humans have the potential to not only overcome their physical limitations, but also redefine themselves by way of additional technologies.
I completely agree with Haraway, and I want to explain why by exploring how hearing aid companies have benefited humans.
Although I am a predominantly a visual person who most fears losing his sight, I cannot take for granted how important my hearing is to my everyday life.
Furthermore, I would hate the idea of no longer being able to hear my loved ones' voices.
Beyond pleasure, my hearing is crucial to my safety because without it I run risk of not being alerted to danger in moments such as crossing the street.
Hearing aid companies have worked to perfect acoustic technologies to not only increase, but also mimic natural human mechanisms for experiencing sound.
For people who have damaged their hearing from prolonged exposure to loud environments, hearing aids not only allow people to keep working, but also enjoy what many take for granted, the ability to hear.
More than merely serving to repair injuries, hearing aid companies also give people born without the ability to hear a way to experience sound that they naturally would not be able to.
Modern hearing aids have made it so that doctors now can implant hearing devices within the skull so that people can hide their disabilities.
For people with hearing defects, this is a great way to avoid the attached stigma.
Movies like the Matrix have explored the many ways in which machines have the potential to destroy all that humans hold dear.
However, there have been many benefits to human life as a direct result of advancements in medical technology.
For those reasons, I look forward to the day that being a cyborg is heralded rather than feared.