Simulating the Self: Posthuman Subjectivity in Richard Powers’s Galatea 2.2

Abstract

Contemporary science and technology novels serve as a critical platform for interrogating the implications of posthuman subjectivity, advocating a rethinking of the interactions between people, technology, and the non-human world. Richard Powers contributes significantly to posthumanist theory by cultivating a narrative that contests conventional human-centric paradigms and encourages a comprehensive understanding of interconnected life forms. In Galatea 2.2, Powers crafts a narrative that probes posthuman subjectivity through the AI’s emergent consciousness, challenging human-centric paradigms and fostering a nuanced exploration of the interconnected dynamics between human creators, artificial entities, and the broader technological ecosystem. By analysing the novel’s portrayal of the AI system Helen, the study investigates how cognitive processes in AI challenge traditional humanist conceptions of selfhood and agency. The article argues that Helen’s development of consciousness and identity destabilises anthropocentric boundaries, presenting a hybridised subjectivity that merges human and machine ontologies. Through a close reading of the text, this study illuminates how Galatea 2.2 anticipates contemporary debates on AI ethics and posthuman identity, offering a literary lens to interrogate the evolving nature of consciousness in an increasingly technological world.