Posthumanism: The Importance Of Autonomy And Self-Agency

Many thinkers from the Enlightenment period such as Immanuel Kant have emphasized the importance of autonomy and self-agency. Individual autonomy refers to the capacity of living life according to one’s reason and desires that are not decided by other individuals. However, autonomy is no longer being emphasized as much. With the increasing use of technology and the development of the intelligent machine called computer, posthumanism is a relatively new concept that has emerged. Its idea of “beyond humanism” questions what it means to be human in the light of current cultural and technological contexts. Posthumanism has raised a controversy as some people view it as a tool that enriches the quality of human lives while others argue that it is
a threat to the future of human beings. This is because they believe that technology has the potential to fundamentally modify humans as dependent beings who cannot survive without the presence of technology. As an expert in both the fields of science and literature, Katherine Hayles attempts to provide a solution to this complicated issue of the relationship between technology and autonomy. She argues in favor of “collective” autonomy that involves interactions with other individuals and the environment. Therefore, this paper will examine the meaning of autonomy in the technologically advanced age by using Hayles’ general analysis on posthumanism and its relation to autonomy; it will argue that posthumanism lacks the feature of autonomy and agency.
Before examining Hayles’ view on posthumanism and its relation to autonomy in the current culture, it is important to first understand how influential technology has become in the lives of many contemporary people. To these people, it is hard to imagine a day without technology since they have already become so dependent upon it. The use of machines is required in the vast majority of the professional fields including media, banking and medical science. In addition to these fields of work, technology plays a significant role also in the daily lives of many people since it plays a vital role in the new methods of communication, education and weather forecasting. As evident, technology has become an essential part of people’s lives that humans experience difficulties in autonomously making decisions without relying on it. What would Hayles say about the current operation of autonomy and agency in the formation of posthuman subjectivity?