Cybernetic Communion_ Cyborgs, Ecospirituality, and the Cosmic Connection.pdf

Cybernetic Communion: Cyborgs, Ecospirituality, and the Cosmic Connection Mohammad Ashraf, Junior Research Fellow of Humanities MANUU University, Hyderabad Far too long “spirituality” has been understood in terms of exclusively human and deep...

Cybernetic Communion: Cyborgs, Ecospirituality, and the Cosmic Connection Mohammad Ashraf, Junior Research Fellow of Humanities MANUU University, Hyderabad Far too long “spirituality” has been understood in terms of exclusively human and deeply personal emotions, compartmentalised into something distinct from the pragmatism of materialistic life, often mistakenly called ‘the real life’. Informed by humanistic dualities of culture/ nature, body/ spirit, human/ non-human, animate/ inanimate, etc. human progress has been selfish, unidirectional and at the cost of everything else. In realising the onward march of human progress and development, humans being the only ‘rational’ beings believed it their divine right for exploitation of whatever is there in the world (Wall 1994). The progress meant taming the ‘others’; overpowering the ‘demons’ lurking in the wilderness of ‘irrational’ nature, and subjugating the animals and ‘beasts.’ Development of human culture and society involved subjection of the environment rather than embracing it. Since industrialisation, humans have involved in a disharmonious engagement with nature and continue to do so. Everything was done and understood through anthropocentric perspective of humanism with total disregard for the non-human ‘other’. For centuries, since the dawn of industrialisation and the era of overgrowth, we looked around and saw only ‘natural resources’ to be exploited. The relationship, particularly in Western civilisation, with every animate and inanimate entity around including the environment, was predominantly utilitarian. Any concern with nature was strictly in terms of what utility it has for human beings (Udoudom 2021). It is in the very recent past that the extent of destruction our unsatiable hunger for progress has wrought on the planet has become evident. In the ancient Eastern civilisations, nature was never the ‘other’, nature was always sacred and worshipped. The true understanding of human existence in ontological as well as teleological terms, was sought in a communal harmony with Mother Earth. In these ancient philosophies we exist, though important, but only as a part of cosmos. Seeking this interdependent relationship of ‘self’ in perfect confluence with nature and cosmos constitutes ‘spirituality’. In short sacrality of nature is central to Eastern philosophical thought. To attain ‘Nirvana’ or ‘Moksha’, the highest form of transcendence, Yogis, Rishis, Mystics, Sufis, Monks, etc. would set out on this quest only fulfilled when in perfect confluence with the enlivening force of nature and all its constituents. In Buddhist, Taoist, Yogic, Shamanic, indigenous religious, etc. spiritual and religious beliefs the sacrality and divinity of Earth, natural forces, and animals is absolute. There is interdependence and the life is sustained only in a harmonious interrelationship. Mother Nature or the Great Mother was regarded in Native Indian tradition as “the beginning and end of all life on earth” (Walker 1988). In contemporary times the term ‘spirituality’ is used to mean different things and is often understood to the exclusion of its ancient divine, religious and philosophical corollaries. “Many people self-identify these days as ‘spiritual but not religious’” (Wheeler 2022), thereby substituting ‘religion’ with ‘spirituality’. ‘Spirituality’ involves the recognition that there is something greater than the corporeal materiality and sensory experience to life (Spencer 2012). That we are part of something larger than our individual lives for us to seek this interrelationship with cosmos and the recognition or belief that we are in an interdependent relationship with mother nature and everything in it. ‘Ecospirituality’ or ‘Ecological Spirituality’ is of recent origin, and is a particular form and a recent modification of the word ‘spirituality’ (Wheeler 2022). Spirituality or rather ecospirituality is based not on any religious dogma but is a sum total of human wisdom in relation to natural surroundings and non-human entities, acquired through millennia of human evolution duly informed by solid scientific knowledge and aided by technology. People are awakening to the intricate interconnectedness with the environment and to the attendant damage human population and development has caused on earth. In the conceptualisation of ‘Anthropocene’, also called ‘Age of Humans’ (Gemenne 2015), there is an acknowledgement that human actions have become consequential enough to be able to exact geological changes in Earth systems. This acknowledgment is more of an approval for fixing responsibility about the present state of earth’s environment and accountability about the future of earth on human actions. There arises a tacit acknowledgment of humans having enjoyed an exalted position with capabilities to make or break or re-engineer earth systems and having the power to do so. Machines as ‘Postmodern Animals’: The New Age ‘Others’ In Anthropocene there is a clear shift from anthropocentric exclusivism towards inclusiveness and dynamism. Anthropocene along with other philosophical perspectives like posthumanism/ transhumanism, etc. advocate for a radical rethinking of anthropocentrism and speciesism, and abandoning the deep-rooted dualistic binaries of enlightened humanism. However, machines, particularly “digital technologies” and “artificially intelligent” ones, are increasingly being cast in the same demonic ‘other’ image as ‘wilderness’ and ‘animals’ had been for centuries (Mazis 2022). Machines are defined as embodying ‘antispirit’ (Mazis 2022), without ‘humanness’ and hence, as the new age ‘non-human others.’ Ironically, like nature and its constituents, without technology and machines, human civilisation is unthinkable. “Technology controls civilisation…” (Hoylf 1953). The world is staring at a precipice, a technological singularity with unimaginable ramifications is on course, and humanity, as we know it, is on the brink of extinction (Shanahan 2015), or so goes the narrative. However, it would be self-defeating not to pay heed to the signs of upcoming transformation manifesting right under our eyes. In light of rapid technological advancements, the emergence of ‘posthumans’ raises profound questions about the intersection of humanity, cyborgs and cosmos. Acknowledging the inexorability of what was once considered unthinkable, the response to such complex issues must be based on reasonable and informed “bewilderment” rather than “panic” (Hariri 2014), to be able to engage in meaningful discussions. The metamorphosis of Homo sapiens into Homo deus, “fulfilment of Frankenstein prophesy” is just another in a long series, a normative evolutionary event in the history of earth (Hariri 2014). Coming back to ‘ecopsirituality’ which seeks communion and a sacred relationship of human spirit with the ‘biosphere’ and beyond. The history of human civilisation is incomplete without technology, and the future is even more unimaginable. No corner of our planet, no ecosystem, not even the near space is without human footprints. Our culture is in an intricate relationship with technology and insofar technologically driven that we now live in a ‘digital culture’. Our personal interconnection with technology and digital gadgets is so deep that human existence outside the realm of machines is unfathomable. With the ever-expanding realm of technology, machines are too large and consequential part of biosphere of earth to be excluded from any deeper spiritual ‘meaning and respect’ (Mazis 2022). Thus ‘becoming’ of human progress is ‘… always becoming with, in a contact zone…” (Harraway 2008) in a coevolutionary association with machines. In a spiritual sense, humans have always been posthuman (Francesca 2016). From tools and machines, to digital-, nano- and biotechnological enhancements, we never were humans in exclusivity. From biological embodiment to sociological identities, there is blurring of boundaries between organic and artificial, silicon and spirit. In such a scenario, it is imperative to include machines in the purview of human ‘spirituality’ in order to investigate the intricate interplay between cybernetic beings and the sacred relationship with the natural world. Cybernetic Beings, Cyborgs and Artificially Intelligent Machines It would be extremely foolhardy of us to discount machines from deriving any spiritual meaning for ourselves whilst living in a matrix of technology. In other words, there is no relational or existential meaning possible outside this matrix or ‘Gibsonian cyberspace’ for most of the humanity. Armed with technology, we prevailed over nature and transformed the landscape of biosphere. In doing so, we didn’t as much care for nature and ‘others’ because our relationship was purely utilitarian. Now we are left to count the cost of this ‘othering’ and the ensuant indifference towards the nature. Anthropocene is arousing humanity to the catastrophic consequences of anthropocentric exceptionalism and unsustainable consumption underpinning Enlightened humanism. Existential issues like global warming, climate change, mass species extinction, irreversible degradation of environment, etc. are staring right at us. Given the geopolitical environment in the world today and the consequent policy handicap at the global level, we have only technology at our disposal to steer us through this catastrophe of our own making. It is well acknowledged that machines and technology only enabled us to alter the earth’s surface to the extent of apocalypse, and it is with the machines only we continue to do so. Hyper consumerism, over-exploitation, industrial overgrowth, urbanisation, and the genuine development for human welfare, which resulted in the destruction of natural infrastructure, could be realised with the aid of machines only. However, till date it was human will and greed which drove machines to do what we intended them for. Technology as a human construct, “shaped by human interests and values” (Poel 2020), is laden with human impulses. For the first time in human history, we are at the threshold of an era in which humans would no longer be able to claim ‘reason’, ‘intelligence’, ‘creativity’ and other humanely attributes solely specific to Homo sapiens (Mazis 2022). Human actuality is intricately entangled with technology. At present, our biological, cultural, and sociological existence is meaningless and incomprehensible without machines. In order to understand the physiological, neurological, psychological or cognitive functioning of our own bodies, we model ourselves in machinic designs. Human body is understood as a machine; heart is a very efficient pumping machine, brain is anatomically and physiologically a very detailed and complex type of an organic computer, eyes are the most wonderful cameras ever created, etc. I am not implying human bodies are machines, the point I am trying to make is that the hold of technology is so pervasive in our meaning making that we perceive the functioning of our bodies with human-machine metaphorical analysis only. Transhumanism and Ecospirituality Although it can be left to debate whether human body is a machine or not, there is absolutely nothing to state otherwise that at biological level, human body; organs, tissues and cells are adapting to the implants and ‘smart’ prosthetics rather seamlessly. From lifesaving medical procedures performed with robotic instruments, to implantation of prosthetics to replace missing body parts for restoration of functionality human bodies have become cyborgs in a very literal sense of the term. In his memoir Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human (2007), Michael Cohorst details out rather intimately, his experiences with a Cochlear implant after he lost his sense of hearing completely. “I was more in control of my body, and that allowed me to be more patient. An upgrade, in a certain way." (116) There are countless stories like Cohorst’s testifying how bionic implantation, the small machines introduced to restore the lost function of a body part, have stimulated resultant enhancement in the functioning than mere restoration. According to Cohorst, he felt that his brain and the corresponding auditory neural pathways adapted relatively easily with his implant, suggesting that human-machine symbiotic relationship is entirely possible at all levels; physiological, psychological, metaphysical and spiritual. With the earth systems reaching ‘tipping points’ in Anthropocene and a still divided humanity in an intellectual policy paralysis, any effective response maybe too little too late. Climate change induced uneven distribution of precipitation leading to frequent droughts, devastating floods, crop failures, spread of novel plant and animal diseases and epidemics, harsher winters and hotter summers. In order to mitigate these risks at national and local levels, people are taking recourse in technology and pinning hopes on new industrial revolution, alternate clean energy sources, green innovations and cutting-edge medical technologies. The integration of technology with ‘humanness’ in the ‘information age’ has been nothing short of extraordinary. Every domain of our lives has seen unprecedented incorporation of machines, particularly digital technologies. This human-machine integration is not restricted to external of human body but within human bodies as well, as discussed earlier. So much so that, human-machine entanglement is coalescing into one homogenous composite, a ‘cyborgian amalgamation operating inside a natural environment’ (Wamberg & Thomsen 2018). The advent of artificial intelligence (AI), smart robots, superintelligent machines and bionic implants, and the seamless integration with human body, has further eroded the boundary between ‘human’ and ‘machines’ (Shanahan 2015). In order to face the presupposed environmental consequences in the Anthropocene, we would require to summon all the technological and imaginative wherewithal humanity possesses including genetic engineering and bio-enhancements/ ‘transhumanist negentrophy’ (Wamberg & Thomsen 2018). In the techo-human condition, biologically enhanced humans, stand a better chance in the Anthropocene (Mendz & Cook 2021) as envisioned in the ‘Transhumanist Project’. Transhumanism and spiritualism both espouse transcending biological and physical limitations of human beings. Although transhumanism seeks this transcendence through the aid of technology, Spirituality is all about seeking transcendence by searching deep within oneself through meditation and realisation of the symbiotic relationship with the nature and cosmos. Transhumanism is a techno-optimistic endeavour which doesn’t so much care about human nature and envisions a techno-utopic future in which nature has been re-engineered and subjected to human control. Ecospirituaity on the other hand is a confluence of human spirit with nature, it is nature to which human consciousness is subjected to. On the one hand, technology and machines are aiding us in our desperate attempts to salvage the biosphere and to preserve the ‘naturalness’ of our planet. On the other hand, ‘machines under our skin’ and inside our bodies can, in theory, transform us into cybernetic bodies, enhanced beings, cyborgs, the ‘transhumans’ with inhouse capabilities of withstanding the challenges an increasingly inhospitable environment may throw at us. Transhumanism, per se, ‘characterised our natural way of being as flawed’ and advocates the radical use of technology to redefine the essence of being human (Karakasis 2022). The transhumanist vision is essentially a modernist project, it eagerly embraces a metaphysics of humanism and the Enlightenment belief in rational progress (Philbeck 2014). Prominent advocates of transhumanism, authors like Marvin Minsky, Hans Moravec, Raymond Kurzweil etc. propose that “humans could substitute their brains for [computers], become machines and break free from the uncomfortable limitations of humanity” (Ayerra 2019). Realising the transhumanist dream of ‘human perfectibility and eventual immortality’ would require unsustainable consumption of energy and natural resources in developing future technologies, thereby undermining the very efforts to save the planet. Here, the conception of ‘caring’ ecospirituality contradicts the transhumanist philosophy of human welfare and ‘posthuman future’ at any cost. Conclusion The aim of this paper is to broaden the scope of ecospirituality, to make it more inclusive rather than restricted to the realisation of relationality of human soul and nature only, but include in its transcendental interconnection the machines, AI and ‘posthuman beings’ as well, because machines are as much part of human existence, phenomenological experiences, natural surround and cosmos now as any other creation and natural force. Various literary works and visual art forms particularly novels and films of Sci-fi & Cli-fi genres portray these issues from both approving and disapproving perspectives, critiquing and acknowledging the repercussions of such eventuality. Thus, it becomes imperative that while navigating the Anthropocene, ethical use of emerging technologies must be envisioned, commensurate to our spiritual, ethical, social and ecological positioning of a symbiotic association with Mother Earth. “Spirituality can be invested as a technology of the self, to say it in Foucauldian terms” (Francesca 2016). The future use of machines can’t be allowed to be vexed with same human frailties of anthropocentric exceptionalism, of indifference, exploitation and selfishness, of exclusivism and ‘othering.’ As Hariri noted, “I am more worried about the dangers of natural [human] stupidity than AI.” Murray Shanahan (2015), recommends that super-intelligent machines powered by AI must be imbued with human level creativity, emotions, [‘spirituality’] subjectivity, because only a human level artificial intelligence would recognise and respect human values. Furthermore, the domain of ecological spirituality should encompass man-made environments like vertical forestry, artificial lakes, ponds, green parks, etc. as well, which are increasingly more visible today. In worst case apocalyptic scenario, ability to re-engineer the environment locally around human settlements could prove a difference between survival and total extinction of humanity. Add to these manmade environments the orbiting space-stations (ISS, Tiangong, etc.), anticipated outer-space human outposts (Planned Lunar & Martian bases) and even extraterrestrial lifeforms. Another very critical issue afflicting humanity as a whole where ecospirituality can play a vital part, is justice and equality to all. Ecospirituality which avows transcendental sacredness and divinity of all creations within cosmos, is necessary in upholding universal notions of equality and fundamental rights of all humanity. In the era of Anthropocene; posthuman eventuality, technological singularity, existential uncertainties and cataclysmic upheavals, in all likelihood would exacerbate the risk of worsening inequality in the allocation of resources and distribution of benefits of technological progress to the less privileged groups globally (UNESCO). Among other ethical and egalitarian standpoints, ecospirituality can be utilised to offer spiritual checks and balances, emanating from deeply personal and extramundane emotions, against the rampant corporate selfishness and social Darwinism to steer humanity towards a more ‘spiritually’ respectful, equal and inherently empathetic world. 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