The Machine in the Body—the Body in the Machine: Perception of the Human Body in a Post-Biological Society
The Machine in the Body—the Body in the Machine: Perception of the Human Body in a Post-Biological Society

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to provide a critical analysis of the body-machine relationship in the context of post-biological society (as viewed by Roy Ascott) from two perspectives (David Tomas): on the one hand the functioning of the machine in the body as a manifestation of transgression and on the other one—the functioning of the body in the machine as a challenge and assumption of transhumanism. The term ‘machine’ in this article is limited to the cybernetic machine. This article is limited to a critical analysis of a new type of person: a cyborg—a hybrid of a human being and a machine in a post-biological society.The following research question has been formulated: what image of the body is suggested, imposed, or maybe enforced by a post-biological society? How does the body function and influences the machine (the body inside the machine), how does the machine influence the body (the machine inside the body) and finally—how do these relationships relate to the broader social context? Are the attempts within hybridization and transhumanism not leading to the internet of bodies? Can an internet of bodies be developed just like the internet of things? The article accepts the hypothesis that crossing subsequent boundaries of the human body in a post-biological society changes the body-machine relationship. The nature of the article is analytical-descriptive and conceptual. The thesis has been confirmed.

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