Subjects:  1. Communication    2. Communication (General)    3. Ideology    4. Technology And Social Change   

Editorial 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 Read more

Reviews (6)

Half of a dissapointment
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.
A man with a vision
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.

An intriguing survey of changing images of civil rights
In Cyborg Citizen, the author argues that the creation of cyborgs calls for new definitions of citizenship. Examples can include Internet offerings and the legal and political issues raised by its use, and issues affecting the mechanization of humans with artificial parts. An intriguing survey of changing images of civil rights and liberties. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Social Aspects    2. Science    3. Technology And Social Change    4. Social Science    5. Philosophy & Social Aspects    6. Artificial intelligence    7. Popular culture    8. Social Science / Popular Culture    9. Popular Culture - General    10. Cyborgs    11. Sociology    12. Human-machine systems    13. Robotics   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Congresses    3. Data processing    4. Decision Making & Problem Solving    5. Employment And Technological Change    6. Information technology    7. Teams in the workplace    8. Employment & unemployment    9. Impact of science & technology on society   

Reviews (3)

closeup of peasant life in an ancient land
Richard Critchfield denied he was an anthropologist, claiming to be only a journalist, but his methods and his works prove otherwise.Perhaps he did not tie his writing to any theoretical framework or to the body of existing anthropological studies, but this book, at least, lies right in the heart of what I think anthropology is supposed to be about, revealing the nature, the tone, the nuances of another society, giving us understanding of why other people act in other ways.SHAHHAT is a penetrating study of the rhythms and contents of Egyptian village life in the 1970s.The profound picture painted of the young peasant farmer, Shahhat, his mother, his uncle, and several other friends and relatives, can be compared to Oscar Lewis' studies in Mexico and Puerto Rico, the wonderful study of Iranian women done by Erika Friedl, Ruth Behar's "Translated Woman", and perhaps a few others.Everything is covered;work, family life, relations between the sexes, health and healing, religion, festivals, food, entertainment, economic relations, and the effects of development at the grassroots level.Critchfield writes in a style half literary, half journalistic, with knowledge gleaned from living with the people concerned over a long period of time.Whether his methods were "kosher" in terms of anthropological technique is hardly the question.The book resounds with the truth, with the unexpected details that can only come from real life observation.Village life is anything but idyllic-in Egypt, as in Mexico, India, on South Sea islands, and everywhere else, village life often consists of endless struggle and quarrels within and beyond the family.Village life is unending hard work for small reward.The description is presented more by the author than by the Egyptians, but he often has them speak, including conversations that resemble fiction more than university-inspired texts. Explore Ancient Egypt through modern Egypt
I happen to stumble upon this bopok through all my reserch of Ancient kmt.The book explores rual Egyptian life and writes from a perpective of a Egyptian chjild named Shahhat. A young man gives us insight into another culture
In the book, Shahhat is a young man in 1970's Egypt living in a village by the Valley of the Kings. He is torn between his desire to be a respected member of the community and his natural impulsiveness.This book describes a world where djinns are real and the flawed human beings do not always live up to the precepts of Islam.Through Shahhat's eyes we can see how ordinary people live in a part of the world the media tends to portray as threatening or hostile. The author, Richard Critchfield, wrote about life in third world villages for many years so Shahhat's story is the most detailed chapter in a long project.The books _Villages_ and _The Villagers_ provide updates on Shahhat.Critchfield's books are better than any I have read for sensitizing Western readers to the value of village life.However, if there is one thing that Americans longing for a simpler way of life want to avoid, it is crime.The shocking incidents of violence in this book show that village life is no paradise. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Egypt    2. Fiction    3. Peasantry    4. Social life and customs    5. Sociology    6. Sociology - General    7. Technology And Social Change    8. Indic, East Indo-European & Dravidian Languages    9. Religion & Beliefs   

Reviews (26)

Why the Problem in the Middle East?
Without question, Mr. Mander's book is powerful. There is little doubt that Euro-American culture and many "modern" societies are the victims of an artificial reality swallowed up in a "Megatechnocracy." If you wonder why, other cultures, in particular Iraq, Iran and many Moslem countries, don't want America's value system, read this book. Clearly, this country, America, is a destroyer of cultures, especially in the hands of the modern conservatives in Washington. The coming cultural/social conflicts of the future will largely center around a war of cultural values and it is going to be a global tragedy in the end. America respresents only a fraction of a world population; the world does have some other ideas about the humanity of the future without American technology and technical arrogance. Look out George W. Bush. You ain't seen nothing yet!

Good, if disjointed.
Mander was working on two books, one on the negative effects of technology on our culture, and the other of the continued exploitation of native cultures in the U.S. and around the world. He says that, somewhere along the line, he realized that these two issues were one in the same. IN THE ABSENCE OF THE SACRED is the result.
"All technologies should be assumed guilty until proven innocent."
The `Neo-Luddite' position, as it has been called, the view that evils of modern technology vastly outweigh the benefits, that technology is leading us in a destructive direction, that the benefits of technology are greatly over-hyped and over-sold, that our attitude and approach toward technology and new technological `advances' is at best na�ve, at worst suicidal, and long overdue for re-evaluation, is argued pervasively in this important book.
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Subjects:  1. Civil rights    2. General    3. Indians    4. Land tenure    5. Native American    6. Native American Sociology    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Social conditions    9. Sociology    10. Technology    11. Technology And Social Change    12. Non-Classifiable    13. Social Science    14. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    15. Indians of North America   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Philosophy    3. Religion    4. Social aspects    5. Sociology    6. Technology    7. Technology And Social Change    8. Christianity   

Subjects:  1. Communication    2. History    3. Mass Communication Media And Society    4. Mass media    5. Questions & Answers    6. Technological innovations    7. Technology And Social Change    8. Unassigned Title    9. Business & Economics / Economics / General    10. Communication Studies    11. Sociology, Social Studies   

Subjects:  1. 1895-    2. 20th century    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Civilization, Modern    5. Congresses    6. General    7. History: American    8. Mumford, Lewis,    9. Social aspects    10. Technology    11. Technology And Social Change    12. Technology and civilization    13. Views on technology and civili    14. Biography: general    15. City & town planning - architectural aspects    16. Mathematics and Science    17. Mumford, Lewis    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Communication    4. Computers - General Information    5. Economic aspects    6. Economics - General    7. Information Technology    8. Social aspects    9. Technology And Social Change    10. Technology and civilization    11. Business & Economics / Economics / General    12. Economic theory & philosophy    13. USA   

Reviews (1)

Highly recommended
(Planeta.com Journal) -Dark fiber is optical fiber infrastructure (cabling and repeaters) that is currently in place but is not being used. It's a brilliant metaphor for the ideas that are covered in this book. A brilliant thinker working at the intersection of net criticism and social activism, Lovink has figured prominently in cyberculture for the past decade. He discusses the rise and fall of dotcom mania, the erosion of email, debates over a common Internet time standard, virtual communities, and the clashes and synergies among governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computer Books: Internet General    3. Computer Science    4. Computers    5. Computers And Society    6. Culture    7. Information society    8. Internet    9. Internet - General    10. Social Aspects - General    11. Social aspects    12. Sociology - General    13. Technology And Social Change    14. Computers / Social Aspects / General    15. Cultural studies    16. Impact of computing & IT on society    17. Impact of science & technology on society    18. Media studies   

Subjects:  1. Democracy    2. History & Theory - General    3. Political Ideologies - Democracy    4. Political Science    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Social Aspects    8. Sociology - General    9. Technology    10. Technology And Social Change    11. Technology and state   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Sociology - Social Theory    3. Technology & Industrial Arts    4. Technology And Social Change    5. Modern fiction    6. Science / General   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Anthropology - General    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. India    5. Rural Sociology    6. Rural development    7. Social Science    8. Social aspects    9. Social change    10. Sociology    11. Technology    12. Technology And Social Change    13. Anthropology    14. Impact of science & technology on society    15. Rural communities    16. Social Science / Anthropology / General   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Congresses    6. Effect of technological innova    7. Effect of technological innovations on    8. Electronics Industries (Economic Aspects)    9. Employees    10. India    11. Industries - General    12. Management Information Systems    13. Microelectronics industry    14. Technology And Social Change    15. Computers / Management Information Systems    16. Hi-tech manufacturing industries    17. Impact of science & technology on society    18. Sociology, Social Studies   

Subjects:  1. Democracy    2. General    3. Political Ideologies - Democracy    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Social Aspects    6. Sociology    7. Technology    8. Technology And Social Change    9. Energy Technology & Engineering    10. Management of land & natural resources   

Subjects:  1. Business/Economics    2. Effect of automation on    3. Employment And Technological Change    4. Job satisfaction    5. Labor supply    6. Measuring instruments    7. Employment & unemployment    8. Impact of science & technology on society   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Economic aspects    3. Industrial Sociology    4. Industrialization    5. Social change    6. Sociology    7. Technological innovations    8. Technology And Society    9. Work    10. Economic history    11. Work & labour    12. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    13. World history: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (2)

"Resistance is Futitle"
An interesting view ... interesting.Kind'a the future of humanity as Borgs.he brings some very keen points to light.For instance, after reading a section on how people separte themseleves from the people surrounding them, I can't wear earphones from my CD player anymore.I see it as rude now, where before I didn't give it a second thought.

A very insightful look into modern media trends
I found this book to contain many interesting points about how growing technology is effecting how we eat, see and look. Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization, Modern    2. Computers and civilization    3. Controversial Knowledge    4. Culture    5. General    6. Mass media    7. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Social Science    10. Social aspects    11. Sociology - General    12. Technology    13. Technology And Social Change   

Subjects:  1. Congresses    2. General    3. Industries    4. Social aspects    5. Sociology    6. Technology    7. Technology And Social Change    8. Non-Classifiable    9. Sociology, Social Studies   

Reviews (4)

A persuasive theoretical attempt to grasp of cyberspace
If you look for a empirical and graphic illustration of cyberspace, this is not your choice. This book is intended to contribute to theoretical founding of cyberspace. So most pages are devoted to reviewing and elaborating various existing theories, researches. That is, this is a meta-theorizing. His founding theoretical orientation is not fashionable postmodernist but Giddens��s theory of structuration, particularly the knowledgability of actor, and modernity. The author manages to bring about a persuasive extension of Giddens��s approach to cyberspace. He argues there is no reason to see that online community is not that different from offline day-to-day life from totally discrepant angle as postmodernists claim. Online community also assumes the development of the integrity, trust and shared stock of knowledge. What is needed to assess the experience of this brave new world is the proper theory of media and modernity. The Net and Society's Nettles
To the first-time users of both the Arpanet and Milnet in the birthing days of the Internet, it was clear pretty early on that this new technological development could very well become a potent force in society's processes.Sadly, academic exploration lagged in its tracking over the years, apparently favoring instead a focus on technological advances in the new medium. Internet's impact much broader than "online culture"
As a doctoral student in Mass Communcation at the University of Texas in Austin studying the social impact of the Internet, I was glad to find a text that discussed the Internet from a social and cultural perspective. It was so refreshing to find that someone recognizes that the impacts of technology are broader than just the "online culture." Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers and civilization    2. Information Technology    3. Information society    4. Internet    5. Social Aspects    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Sociology - General    9. Technology And Social Change    10. Telecommunications