In the same way that Heidegger asserts that an airplane on the runway cannot be understood as an object, the microwaves in our kitchens cannot be understood as objects either. The microwave, being a piece of modern technology, is forced to be always at the ready for human use, perpetually electrified and only one button press away from warming up food. This aligns with Heidegger’s idea that the distinction that modern technology holds over previous technologies is “standing reserve,” ready to activate at a moment’s notice to accomplish whatever task it is designed to do. This differs from the line of thinking that a microwave is merely an object, which is different from a refrigerator or an oven in various ways. Through the lens of “standing reserve,” we understand a microwave and an oven as the same. Heidegger seems to say that “standing reserve” is unnatural (not exactly bad, just unnatural) and that it is such a modern phenomenon to have such dominion over our materials in excess that we stop viewing them as individual things, but as resources to use at our discretion.
Why We Shouldn’t Study Cyborgs (Even Though They’re Cool)
I already forgot which topic I chose to exclude in the survey but I’ll argue we shouldn’t cover Transhumanism and Cyborgs. As cool as it would be to discuss how technology has evolved to the point to change the human form, I don’t think it is the most relevant subject to examine. That isn’t to say that body mods aren’t happening all the time, it just feels like a more niche topic, especially when compared to discussions about generative AI, algorithms, and panoptic power. I can’t speak to the level of involvement or knowledge of everyone in the class, but I imagine most people associate Cyborgs and Transhumanists with popular Sci-Fi series or Superheroes in the cultural zeitgeist. To me, talking about Transhumanism and Cyborgs would spark less interesting discussion because of how removed we are from the topic. If our preconceived notions of this topic are based in fiction rather than our own lived experiences then I think we will have less compelling material to pull on as we discuss. I would say that the most interesting parts of these classes can be learning about other people’s interpretations of their own experiences through the material, which would likely be very limited talking about Cyborgs and Transhumanists.