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The first phase is marked by affirmation of the superior status of humans over machine, which can be further subdivided into two stages: from stressing the exclusive points of organic beings to separating humans from other organisms. As early as Ancient Greece, Aristotle drew a distinction between the organic and the inorganic. He contrasted the “natural things”, whose movement originated from an internal principle and reached towards the same end, with “technical products”, objects with no innate efficient and final causes (Aristotle, 1930, 15-17). Such a comparison negates the inorganic, paving way for Cartesian philosophy. Nearly two thousand later, Descartes argued the machines are objects without consciousness and must depend on the manipulation of humans. In order to further distinguish humans from machines, he installed the possession of a “rational soul” as the unique feature which distinguishes humans from animals (Descartes, 2006: 46-49). From Aristotle to Descartes, classification is used not only to separate the organic human from the inorganic, but also distinguished some part of the organics. According to the Cartesian distinction, humans with a rational soul enjoy privileges over others.  

Chapter Three Theoretical Framework ................. 15

3.1 Anti-Humanism and Anti-Anthropocentrism .......................... 15

3.2 A Proposal for Posthumanism: Distributed System ......................... 19

Chapter Four The “Human Heart” Nowhere: The Deconstruction of the Traditional Human/Machine Relationship .......... 23

4.1 The Traditional Humanistic Human/Machine Relationship .......................... 23

4.1.1 The Superior and the Subordinate: The Discriminatory Hierarchical Relationship ......................................................................................... 24

4.1.2 The Organic and the Inorganic: Binary Opposition Relationship ....... 27

Chapter Five The “Human Heart” Everywhere: On the Convergence of Human and Machine ......... 37

5.1 The Modern Convergence of Human and Machine ....................................... 37

5.1.1 Informatizing Genes: The Technicalization of the Disembodied Human .............................. 38

5.1.2 Socializing Machines: The Personification of Embodied Virtuality... 40

Chapter Five The “Human Heart” Everywhere: On the Convergence of Human and Machine

5.1 The Modern Convergence of Human and Machine

With the development of technology, humans find themselves increasing unable to separate themselves from machines while at the same time enjoying the additional entitlements brought by them. Indeed, from pacemakers to articulated limbs, scores of mechanical devices have been incorporated as functional parts of human bodies. Simultaneously, machines are acquiring a greater semblance of personhood, so they not only behave like humans, but also think as they do. This bilateral convergence leads to the contemporary situation whereby it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between humans and machines. Reviewing how humans are “disembodied” 本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。