Future Figurations of the Human: Imagining Posthuman Subjectivity in Medical Science Fiction

Abstract

Technological posthumanism explores the astounding possibilities of life extension aided by cutting-edge biotechnological evolution in future medicine. Eternal life, bodily rejuvenation and physical augmentation have been the favoured tropes of medical science fiction. Advances in medicine appeal to the consciousness of humanity at large. The dehumanization that has invaded the health care industry in the wake of the technological revolution has altered the nature of patient-doctor relationship and has affected the quality of medical care offered. The ethical implications of audacious experimentations with the natural order have been the topic of heated debate in contemporary posthuman discourses. Posthumanist tendencies challenge the anthropocentric worldview, making critical enquiries into the possibilities of new forms of embodiments and hybrid subjectivities. As humanity is set to evolve into a race of ‘posthumans’ – a race of technologically mutated and augmented hybrid entities – capitalizing on the innovations in medical research and health care, there arises an increasing need to rethink our conception regarding autonomy of the human body and what it means to be human in the techno-scientific age. This paper investigates the posthuman world view presented in the medical science fiction stories of Brad Aiken and argues that even as technology redefines notions of human identity, subjectivity and longevity, the need to preserve the sanctity of human life and the natural order cannot be undermined.