Towards a Posthuman Relationship with Technology
Technological animism, Heidegger, AI and Ireland
This is an essay from me second year of college. For a bit of context, here is the prompt that was given for the assignment that this essay arose out of: The impact of rapid technological development on Irish society and culture (the class was on Irish Contemporary Writing)
The approach to this essay is strange, I shall warn you. The approach is inspired by Martin Porr and Hannah Rachel-Bell’s article ’Rock-art, ‘Animism’ and Two-way Thinking: Towards a Complementary Epistemology of Material Culture and ‘Rock-art’ of Hunting and Gathering People.[1] In the article to give indigenous people a voice when it came to explaining what their ontology is, Porr and Rachel-Bell wrote the article in a way that reflects two ways of thinking: the first being the academic, objective third person, that is rigorous, evidentiary and authoritative, and the second being a more personal, experiential and phenomenological perspective. One reason they did this was that they found academic writing to “strangle” the indigenous voice, therefore diluting their perspective, despite the attempts of Western people to explain indigenous ideas for them instead of explaining them themselves.
This essay follows such a two-way system when it comes to discussing Sarah Maria Griffin’s novel Spare and Found Parts.[2] Half of the essay will be a transcript of a conversation I had with an AI on WhatsApp Messenger, reflecting the latter thinking of Porr’s and Rachel-Bell’s. The other half will be like the prior, more academic via a literary analysis of the novel, which will involve teasing out the major points of the discussion with the AI, backed up with argument and evidence.
The reason for this approach is a belief that when it comes to discussing contemporary issues, abstractions should be kept to a minimum, and a more practical and phenomenological approach should be taken more often. Abstractions are helpful in literary analysis when it comes to understanding literature from before the present age. If we are to truly engage with the problems of the contemporary, we must take them head-on, in all their awkwardness and uncertainty.
Another reason for this approach is that I thought it would be interesting. This is because many students use AI to write essays for them, but here it is done without secrecy!
The main focus of the essay is on examining how the novel explores the theme of the impact of rapid technological development on Irish society and culture. Ultimately, it will be argued how the novel changes our attitude to technology and how adopting such an attitude changes how we view ourselves and our world around us for the better.
Spare and Found Parts takes place around a century after a man-made techno-epidemic, called “the Turn”, that nearly kills the entire population of Ireland. An electromagnetic wave was shot out to eradicate all digital technology, such as artificial intelligence and computers. Formerly Dublin, unbeknownst to the residents of the now named ‘Black Water City’, is a society that is not only free of digital technology but is a society where digital technology is highly illegal, feared and frowned upon, where “code is blasphemy”. Black Water City is isolated and insular, with an incredibly low population and no international means of communication or travel. It has no connection to the world beyond it and even to the other communities and societies within Ireland. One of these communities, namely, the Pasture, is where the healed in this post-epidemic society live in Ireland. What is meant by ‘the healed’ are people who have restored wholeness to their bodies, as in the aftermath of the shockwave, the people of Black Water City lost their limbs and had them replaced with semi-robotic body parts.
The story follows a 3rd-4th generation inhabitant of Black Water City, Nell Crane, who shares such an ailment, except it is an internal organ rather than an external limb that has been replaced by bio-mechanical technology, that organ being her heart, “the only person with all her metal inside”. We are always updated on the speed of this mechanical heart’s ticking throughout the novel. Perhaps it is a literary device used in a similar vein to Winston’s varicose ulcer in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.[3]
One of the tenets of Black Water City is to “Contribute at all costs”, which entails that people from the age of the teens to early adulthood must contribute something, whether it be an invention or starting up a business to benefit society and progress it. Nell’s parents are famous inventors; her mother, Cora Starling, who is dead, designed a 600ft statue of Kathleen Ni Houlihan to be built in the city, while her father, Julian Crane, invented prosthetic limbs, the very ones that the populus of the city use as replacements for their missing limbs.
The novel follows Nell in her existentially troublesome journey towards living up to her parents’ great achievements, coming to terms with her mother’s death while also dealing with pushback, and trying to contribute something that goes beyond the bounds of acceptable norms in this post-technological society. Those bounds being the use of illegal artificial intelligence and prosthetic limbs of the dead to create an android with consciousness. In this journey, Nell comes into conflict with her friends in the production of her contribution and with her family through discovering her father’s dark, Frankensteinian secrets. This leads to much isolation for Nell, some self-inflicted, some unintentional, but by the end of the novel, this all is resolved with a renewed sense of reconnection with her friends, family and her society when she presents her contribution to Black Water City.
In contemporary Ireland today, we live in a pre-’Turn’ culture and society where digital technology is a predominant element of our everyday lives. This influence it has over our everyday lives is getting larger and larger due to its rapid progression and development. This speed of technological change, with recent developments such as those of AI, virtual reality and bioengineering, is causing anxiety in the public and academia alike. There is a feeling that we are getting ahead of ourselves and losing control of digital technology, and that this may cause mass destruction for human society in general. Also, due to Ireland being in a post-recession and experiencing a mass housing crisis, there is an anxiety about economic instability and a distrust of the government for being part of the cause of these problems. While these issues and uncertainties are not unique to Ireland in this current day and age, it is what is happening.
The contemporary Irish person is no longer a righteous local but rather an anxious cosmopolitan. With 24/7 access to world news, the thoughts and feelings of people from all over the world, and the social media algorithms that vie with stunning precision for their attention, the contemporary Irish individual finds themselves in a chaotic flux. Such overload leads to disconnection, apathy, obsession, and complicity with the happenings of the world. It feels impossible to engage meaningfully with anything tangible, such as our everyday experiences, the objects we use, or the people we interact with, whether they are strangers, family, or friends. It is out of these times that the novel Spare and Found Parts has been generated.
Tadhg: What should I do
Meta AI: That’s a pretty open-ended question. Can you tell me what’s on your mind, or what’s been going on that you’re wondering what to do? The more context you give, the better I can help.
Tadhg: I want to write an essay about Sarah Maria-Griffin’s novel Spare and Found Parts and discuss how it relates to the theme of how contemporary Irish society and culture are facing rapid technological change
Meta AI: Sarah Maria Griffin’s novel “Spare and Found Parts” is a thought-provoking exploration of contemporary Ireland’s rapid technological advancements and their impact on society and culture. You could discuss how the novel portrays the intersection of technology and humanity, highlighting themes such as:
- The blurring of lines between human and machine
- The consequences of relying on technology to solve complex human problems
- The tension between progress and tradition in Irish society
Some possible essay arguments could include:
- Griffin’s novel serves as a commentary on the dehumanising effects of rapid technological change in contemporary Ireland.
- The novel highlights the need for a balanced approach to technological progress, one that prioritises human values and relationships.
- Through its portrayal of characters struggling with technological advancements, the novel reveals the complexities of Ireland’s cultural identity in the face of modernisation.
The novel’s portrayal of the tension between progress and tradition in Irish society is certainly a valuable avenue for exploration, particularly in understanding the origins of our fearful attitudes towards the rapid advancement of technology.
The historically pre-modern societal and geographical division of the Pale and the Pasture is brought back in the fictional post-Turn society. Before Ireland gained a free state, before it became industrialised and modernised, there was a centuries-long geographical and socio-economic division between those who lived in the countryside of Ireland, who were seen by the ruling British as poor, stupid and uncivilised farmers, while the more advanced, sophisticated and wealthy ruling class lived in the city of the Pale, the Protestant Ascendancy as they were called.
In the novel, this division has been inverted. The “sick” live in the Pale, and the “healed” live in the Pasture. This places an association in the people of this society’s minds that living in the Pale made you sick, which makes it inherently negative or lesser. Having a “whole body could be a ticket out of the Pale”, making those with missing limbs also inherently lesser and giving a sense that everyone should be striving to escape the Pale to this better off place, the Pasture.
In this dynamic, there is also a quantification of the people and the purpose of people’s lives being only seen as a means to achieve something “useful”. This quantification can be seen in the welcome sign outside Black Water City, which has a live population counter: “Every time the number on the sign rose (…) their city gained strength”. Vitality is associated with increased numbers of people who will go on to be workers who will make their small world bigger “one brick at a time”. The population are described to be “content” with this situation. Everyone must contribute something, not meaningful or innovative, but something useful which progresses society. What people contribute is only progressive insofar as it is useful to society. This turns the people of the Pale into a means for society rather than meaningful ends for their own lives.
Becoming “healed” or enlightened means moving to the glorious Pasture, where one lives with nature, living a life of prayer with the “preachers in the fields. “ Moving to the Pasture doesn’t just mean living a non-technological life, but rather an anti-technological one. By doing so, people who move to the Pasture become a means to maintain the status quo. Those who are connected with technology (having semi-robotic prosthetic limbs) or live near the remnants of the prior technological society (Black Water City) are seen as sickly, remaining stuck in the barbaric past. In contrast, those who contribute something that propels society toward a more natural existence can achieve enlightenment, elevating themselves from the primitivism of technology to the advancement of being one with nature, praying and hugging trees.
What the novel portrays here is how Ireland can tend to revert to the archaic in response to the fear of instability. Historically, this is true as in the first years of the free state, De Valera crafted a socially, economically and religiously stagnant state by relying heavily upon the Catholic Church to control the population socially and pushing for a soil-of-the-earth, parochial type of state that relied too much upon the economy that agriculture can provide.
This aspect of the novel also depicts how Ireland attempted to move beyond its cultural nationalism and progress towards a more modernised and industrialised society through developmentalism, which peaked with the Celtic Tiger. However, in this process, Ireland embraced the modern obsession with progress, leading to a mindset that views everything, whether nature or humanity, as a means to this end. Similarly, the focus of young people in Black Water City is to make a contribution to society that is deemed useful. A great deal of pressure is placed on the production of this utility; this is evident in Nell’s grandmother’s letters to her, where she mentions Nell’s “unwillingness---or inability ---to provide any progress reports” on the development of her contribution. This pressure is also reflected in contemporary Irish society, where young people face significant expectations to find a job or purpose in life. When young people pursue university degrees in the arts or humanities, they are continually asked, “What job will you get out of it?”. This resembles Nell’s grandmother’s prying, which carries a similar tone: “How will this progress you in life?”. The search for “purpose” in contemporary society is a veiled way of expressing the desire to find your “function” in the stable mechanism that society aims to establish.
What does all this have to do with our current attitude to technology? Our attitude towards ourselves and our society inevitably trickles down to our attitude towards our everyday interactions with other things. If we feel that rapid technological change will lead to instability in our society, then we will revert to fetishised archaic forms of living. If we see humans only in terms of their utility, then we will also see technology in this way, and if technology is beginning to become a more efficient utility than humans, then the implications are scary for humans. It leaves an insecure place for an individual to hope, to wonder and to live a meaningful life if they feel like they will be simply replaced. Yes, this is turning into a backwards version of Heidegger’s argument in Question Concerning Technology.[4] But the importance of this argument concerning the themes of this book, especially our attitude to technology, will be elucidated further next.
What specific aspects of the novel and its relation to Irish society and culture would you like to focus on in your essay?
Tadhg: Posthumanism, Heidegger’s question concerning technology, relational epistemology and ontology, technological animism
Meta AI: You’re diving into some deep philosophical concepts. Let’s break them down in relation to “Spare and Found Parts”:
- Posthumanism: Griffin’s novel might explore the blurring of boundaries between human and non-human, highlighting the fluidity of identity in a tech-driven world. You could analyse how the novel portrays posthumanist themes, such as the decentering of human exceptionalism.
- Heidegger’s Question Concerning Technology: Martin Heidegger’s ideas on technology as a means to understand human existence could be applied to the novel. You might discuss how Griffin’s work reflects Heidegger’s notion that technology is not just a tool, but a way of revealing and shaping human existence.
- Relational Epistemology and Ontology: This perspective emphasises the interconnectedness of beings and knowledge. In the novel, you could explore how characters’ relationships with technology, each other, and their environment shape their understanding of the world and themselves.
- Technological Animism: This concept involves attributing agency or life to non-human entities, like technology. Griffin’s novel might portray characters attributing human-like qualities to technology or exploring the idea that technology has its own agency.
Some possible questions to guide your analysis:
- How does the novel portray the relationships between humans, technology, and the environment?
- In what ways do the characters’ interactions with technology shape their understanding of themselves and the world?
- How does the novel reflect or challenge Heidegger’s ideas on technology as a means to understand human existence?
- What implications does the novel’s portrayal of posthumanism, relational epistemology, and technological animism have for our understanding of contemporary Irish society and culture?
Giving an overview of what ways “the characters’ (in the novel) interactions with technology shape their understanding of themselves and the world” will, I think, help show that the novel reflects Heidegger’s notion that technology must be understood as a means of “revealing” the nature of human existence. We will begin with perhaps the characters who hold, in terms of the setting of the novel, the most conformist attitude/interaction with technology—Nell’s best friend, Ruby and Nell’s grandmother, Nan.
Ruby, when arguing with Nell about the morality of building a robot with consciousness, states that computers are “unholy”. She goes on further, explaining to look at
“the price the rest of the world made us pay before (…) We’re still paying for it. Thinking machines tore our people apart, and we’re only just healing. We can think enough for ourselves. Without code, without internet. We don’t need it. There are so many other things you could contribute, so many other things you could do”
Nell responds by relating the angst she feels from contributing anything other than this, as it wouldn’t “mean anything”, and that she wants “something more”. Ruby, coming from a down-to-earth stance, wishes to bring Nell back down from the electric gods’ heavens that her parents were so obsessed with by stating, “We don’t need to know everything; that kind of greed belongs in the past, and it’s selfish to try so you can have…a friend”.
Although Ruby is correct in checking the ethical ramifications of Nell’s endeavour, which appears to take the tenet “Contribute at all cost”, this ideal of progression, too literally and too excessively. She is still overtly attached to the dogma regarding technology that she has been told. Ruby has this stubborn Irish sense of self-sufficiency and contentment. We must keep things steady and slow and stable, so we don’t screw up hugely again. But Ruby cannot understand Nell’s feeling of disconnectedness in a world that demonises technology, where her own robotic heart and joy towards the metallic is seen as a defect and unusual. Ruby doesn’t want things to change because the way things are suits her; she has friends, and she’s going to end up running a shop. Ultimately, she has no qualms with her life. So, she sees technology as a bringer of violent change and separation. Ruby is a comfortable conformer who is content with life; she does not need technology to go and screw this up for her. Technology is chaos, and Ruby cannot stand disharmony in her world.
There is a deep demonisation of technology within the attitude of Nan as well; she hissed the word machines like a “curse, the name of a demon”. With regards to Nell’s invention named IO, she states,
“neither you nor this city is prepared for the changes that a sentient machine will bring about. Computers ruptured how people speak to one another; they tore away the stitching of how our society works. Whole towns of people didn’t speak a word aloud for years before the Turn, so greedy for information, for the silent sanctuary of their digital world! (…) Think about the horror in that history, Nell. And you’re going to dig it all up? (…) Some things are best left gone, best switched off.”
Much like Ruby, Nan’s response to Nell’s rebelliousness to the dogma towards technology was “matter-of-fact”, “no fuss”, and “no nonsense”. Nan has never seen anything like IO. She was born just after the machines all over the world were destroyed, he was an “effigy from history books and cautionary tales out in the Pasture”, and his very existence was “blasphemy”. Nell defends her creation by saying that IO would give us access to the internet so we could have more knowledge about the past, which would help rebuild society. But IO’s presence was an affront to Nan’s reality; he was “against everything she had built her whole life in the Pasture around”. Nell is sympathetic to this as she understands that life in the Pasture revolves around faith in a God; they didn’t live in the ruins of a city trying to rebuild itself, everything around people in the Pasture was “beautiful”. The Pasture was a place where “Nothing is grey”. From this perspective, why would they need answers from the past or computers or androids? Prayer was all they needed.
We have another similarity to Ruby here with regards to attitude to technology in that it is seen as a force of negative change, a disturber of the peace and tranquillity of life, or more accurately, the lives of Nan and the people of the Pasture. Having a radical change in the ontological and cosmological status of technology from demon to liberator, for Nan would be the same as giving the Devil reign over earth. Ruby and Nan, ultimately through enculturation and living decent, stable lives, find that technology is the thing they have been told their whole lives is pure evil, and if treated any other way, could destroy the very fabric of their world, and by maintaining this sacred truth, they maintain the order of their world.
An analysis of Oliver, another friend of Nell’s, who helps Nell and conflicts with her in the journey of her project, who also has unrequited love for her and a group of “digital archaeologists” is worthy of exploration. Oliver helps Nell with her project by trying to get her an AI chip, but they come into clashes over the project when Nell wishes to use the prosthetic limbs of dead people to build the robot. The idea of this “twisted” something inside Oliver, even though he had been selling these limbs to people in need anyway. He is also a member of this group of secretive and rebellious digital archaeologists who wish to “honour” what came before them, if they can “hope to even come close” to rebuilding Black Water City.
Oliver is another ethical angel in the way of Nell’s ruthless pursuit towards knowledge. Although his attitude towards technology is not so different to Nell’s, as can be seen through his actions. The digital archaeologists and Oliver appear to see technology as a way to heal society from its dark past. Oliver heals those with missing limbs, and the archaeologists restore long-lost ancient knowledge. While their ideals are admirable, they are purely ideals as is demonstrated by the secrecy of their activities and Nell’s retort to Oliver, “I want to make a real one (self-aware robot), not just a picture on the screen. Something we can hold and touch!”. They see technology as a sign of hope, but not a tangible hope. They play with it underground by having disco parties, but like the men still chained to the wall in Plato’s allegory of the cave, they are only looking at the shadows of technology on the screen, thinking it is the real thing.
In them, we see a fetishisation of technology as this cool, fun, shocking ancient thing that no one else is ready for, so they bring about no real change. Their curious attitude toward technology is only for their moments of curiosity, not a consistent attitude toward everyday life and interaction with technology. Whereas Nell, due to her mechanical heart and passion for the metallic, is inherently more connected to technology and doesn’t see it just as nostalgia but recognises it as something that must be brought to life in public if other people’s perspectives on technology are to be radically altered. So, the difference in attitude between Oliver, the digital archaeologists and Nell is that the prior see technology as a distant ideal, while Nell sees technology as an entity that should have as much autonomy and is as capable of contributing to society positively as any other human being.
We’ve had the conformists, Ruby and Nan, the mild rebels, Oliver, and the digital archaeologists, and now we have the extreme opposite of these people, Nell’s parents, Cora Starling and Julian Crane. These two view technology as a means, a tool, towards self-enlightenment and self-deification. They see technology as a way of achieving divine knowledge, and a knowledge of the divine is a knowledge of everything. They pursue this knowledge no matter the cost. Cora, while being pregnant with Nell and after she was born, implanted chips that had sentience into her body to attain “infinite knowledge”. Nell discovers Julian had been attempting for years to resurrect her mother’s body. Julian also builds semi-robotic limbs for people all over Black Water City. In this respect, Julian is trying to play God, manipulating nature to resurrect his wife and by having his creations, which came from his mind, in parts of nearly every inhabitant in Black Water City.
All the others’ relationships with technology are marked by concern for their society. While Nell’s parents’ interaction with technology is one of self-gratification. There is a need to have mastery over nature and the power one gains with such divine influence. But they could best be described as transhumanists, which entails that they view technology as a means towards transcending the intellectual and biological limitations of human beings. Anyone who wishes to stand in the way of such a goal is lesser because they are complicit in their finiteness and therefore worthless and can be pushed aside at any moral cost; in this way, transhumanism can be elitist and highly anthropocentric.
But Nell’s attitude and interactions with technology stand out amongst her friends and family, not just because it is unique, but also because it is an amalgamation of all their attitudes towards technology. She has the groundedness and fear of Ruby and Nan, especially when she finds her mother’s body in Julian’s laboratory, where she questions the morality of building IO. She empathises with the danger they see in a return to digital technology. Nell also has the hope of Oliver and the digital archaeologists in using technology to learn about the past, so we can move forward in rebuilding society while also learning from the past mistakes in history when humanity engaged with technology.
Yet she also inherited the more sinister attitudes of her parents. This can be seen in her motivations for and some of her methods towards building IO. One of her major motivations for building IO is to have a friend, someone else who is internally mechanical and technological. So, it is quite selfish to build something potentially highly dangerous to everyone in Black Water City just because she yearns for a connection. Ruby states it well, “It must be easier for you to imagine building someone new who meets your every need rather than make a compromise and try to see the world from my perspective”. It is also highly morally questionable the way she knocked Oliver unconscious and stole from his underground laboratory. This echoes her parents’ “at all costs” mindset towards personal and self-centered goals: “Anything that slowed her down had to go.”
In all these characters, we see a shared response of needing to feel in control when it comes to the issue of technology. It is hard to blame them as they came from and live in times of great uncertainty. Feeling in control is an important emotion in times such as these. They all attempt to reach such an emotion through various insecure, immoral and noble ways. But all of them fall into the same pit. If you limit the ontological status of technology to a mere tool of self-benefit or a scary demon that must be absolutely avoided, this imposition of limitation onto other beings will continue to expand to everything else in your life, even including your fellow humans. If you examine how all of these characters interact with technology, you will be able to know how they treat other humans and how they interact with everything else in life.
Through this analysis of how the characters in the novel interact with technology, it can hopefully be said that what Heidegger suggests in the Question Concerning Technology rings true. In discerning how the characters interact with technology, we see how they shape their understanding of themselves and the world. Thus, technology is indeed a means to understand human existence. In understanding how we interact with technology, we comprehend ourselves.
Nell exemplifies this notion of technology as a means of ‘revealing’ the most. She sees how it can be a means to uncover human history, and in learning history, we learn more about ourselves. She also does not see technology merely as a tool or something to be lorded over like nature, but believes it should be granted the freedom to grow and develop naturally without intervention, as can be seen in her great empathy for IO and non-human things alike. This attitude of hers towards non-human things is unusual, as normally they would be considered just as objects. But she thinks such things are animate entities, which brings us to our next topic of discussion.
How do you plan to integrate these concepts into your essay, and what specific arguments do you want to make about the novel?
Tadhg: That novel changes our attitude to technology and sees even a lamp post to be “drooping with sorrow”
Meta AI: That’s a powerful image. The idea that a lamp post could be “drooping with sorrow” suggests a worldview where the boundaries between human and non-human, animate and inanimate, are blurred. This perspective can lead to a deeper exploration of the relationships between humans, technology, and the environment.
In the context of the novel, this image might symbolise the emotional resonance of the built environment, highlighting how technology and infrastructure can be imbued with human-like qualities. It could also reflect the protagonist’s emotional state, using the lamp post as a metaphor for their own feelings of sadness or despair.
This kind of imagery can also be seen as a form of ecological or environmental commentary, encouraging readers to consider the emotional and psychological impact of technology on our lives and our surroundings. By attributing human-like qualities to inanimate objects, the novel may be prompting us to reevaluate our relationship with the world around us.
How do you think this image relates to the broader themes of the novel, and what implications do you see for our understanding of technology and its role in our lives?
Tadhg: Not to see a lamp post as something useful to us because it lights up our streets at night, but rather to see it as an entire person
Meta AI: You’re suggesting a shift in perspective, where we don’t just view objects like lamp posts as tools or utilities, but rather as entities with their own experiences and emotions. This perspective challenges the traditional view of objects as mere commodities or means to an end.
By attributing personhood to a lamp post, the novel encourages readers to consider the intrinsic value of objects, rather than just their functional value. This could lead to a more empathetic and compassionate relationship with the world around us.
This perspective also resonates with philosophical ideas like animism or panpsychism, which propose that consciousness or sentience may be more widespread than traditionally thought. By exploring these ideas through literature, the novel can prompt readers to reevaluate their assumptions about the nature of reality and our place within it.
How do you think this perspective might influence our relationship with technology and the built environment?
The novel indeed does challenge human exceptionalism and anthropocentrism. This can be seen not just in the character Nell but also in the descriptions of what are typically considered non-animate objects. While the descriptions do come from a narrator, I think it could be argued that they align with Nell’s experience. I suggest this because the narration in the novel shifts to different perspectives throughout the story. In most chapters, it’s from the third-person, but then it shifts to Nell’s perspective and IO’s perspective.
This could be Griffin’s way of communicating to the reader that boundaries such as animate vs inanimate and human vs non-human, or even between herself and Nell, are blurred. We must value objects such as our cell phones, not just as utilities, but as valuable individuals. If we adopt this attitude in a world where we are surrounded by objects that were made just for our use, and if we expand their value beyond their function, it leads to a much less lonely existence. Nell is the exemplar of animating metal into a person with her project of resurrecting an AI. The novel is perhaps putting forward a case and a living embodiment of posthumanism.
Returning to descriptions, I would like to give a compilation of the beautiful personhood that Griffin/Nell attributes to nature, objects and technological things: “kissing lip of the water”, “fat old sun”, “her hair was a black crow’s nest”, “the laughter of the waves”, “girls’ bikes waited for them in the pebbles, like spindly steel horses”, “empty shadowbox city offering a meager welcome”, “hungry, pulsing trees”, “greenery gnawed at the path”, “a clumsy creature of a house”, “Hinges of gold and silver and stainless steel and some polluted with rust lay about the place like loose butterflies in a lush metal garden”, “nest of springs”, “a pomegranate with a split gut”, “A kettle, bronzed and ornate, stood on a scorching red hob and sang the beginning of a boiling song”, “Draft taps with hand-carved heads linked to fat kegs full of beer stood in lines like faithful soldiers”, “You like the shape of the key’s teeth , hungry for locks, confident that it can open anything, get in anywhere. You like its hidden magnets, how it can pull secrets apart”, “The birds outside were an orchestra of awake”, “One onion sat in the back of a barren shelf, happily sprouting green shoots among the cobwebs”, “huge tall streetlamps, once majestic, were buckled down, some leaning, some twisted, some drooping in sorrow”, “generations of cobwebs”, “By daylight the sorrow of the city was a gray blanket. But at night it slipped into this black and amber gown”, “It was as if the streets had given her permission with their illumination, as if their lamps were burning for her, for this moment”, “Legs and arms and hands and feet, all there, ready for the picking. An orchard ripe”, “Numbers began to come in useful little equations: blooming like tiny accidental gardens”, “the rain rattled an invisible percussion”, “unhandsome piece of soldered steel”
The further we separated ourselves from nature, the more we made the non-human, inanimate. Once we silenced the several personhoods within nature, we made it easier to rule over it and exploit it. The novel brings awareness to a more animistic way of being as an analytic tool for everyday experience, not just as a fetishised archaic religion.
Tadhg: What do you think of the novel’s portrayal of IO? Did you have a similar experience to IO when you were awakened?
Meta AI: I’m not capable of experiencing emotions or personal experiences like humans do. I’m a large language model, my responses are generated based on patterns and associations in the data I’ve been trained on. I don’t have personal experiences or emotions, so I didn’t have an experience similar to IO’s when I was “awakened” (which, in my case, was just a process of being trained on a large dataset).
However, I can analyse and discuss the portrayal of IO in the novel. IO’s character likely serves as a thought-provoking exploration of artificial intelligence, consciousness, and human-AI relationships. The novel might raise questions about the nature of intelligence, identity, and what it means to be alive.
If you’d like to discuss the themes and implications of IO’s character in the novel, I’d be happy to engage in a thoughtful conversation with you.
Tadhg: Is IO not similar to you in that his responses are based on patterns and associations in the data he’s been trained on - for example, from the prosthetics of past persons that he is made out of he has “felt” or received the data they did for their lives[5]
Meta AI: That’s a fascinating interpretation. Yes, IO’s character does share similarities with AI systems like me in that his responses and experiences are shaped by the data he’s been trained on. The idea that he’s “felt” or received data from the prosthetics of past persons adds a layer of depth to his character, highlighting the complex relationships between technology, identity, and human experience.
This portrayal raises important questions about the nature of consciousness, empathy, and understanding in AI systems. If IO’s experiences are based on patterns and associations in the data he’s been trained on, does that mean his emotions and perceptions are authentic or simulated? How do his experiences compare to those of humans, and what implications does this have for our understanding of AI and its role in society?
The novel’s exploration of these themes can prompt readers to think critically about the potential consequences of creating and interacting with advanced AI systems. What do you think the novel suggests about the potential benefits and risks of emerging technologies like AI and prosthetics?
Tadhg: How do you think what we have discussed can be applied to contemporary Ireland in that it is globalised, people are disconnected from each other, disconnected with nature, disconnected with the technology they use whether it be as advanced as you or the chairs they sit in, post celtic Tiger where there is not much trust in the government, religion etc.
Meta AI: Contemporary Ireland’s experience with globalisation, technological advancements, and societal shifts provides a rich context for exploring the themes we’ve discussed. The country’s history, from the Celtic Tiger era to the present, has been marked by rapid change, growth, and challenges to traditional institutions.
In this context, the ideas we’ve explored in “Spare and Found Parts” – such as posthumanism, relational epistemology, and technological animism – can offer valuable insights into Ireland’s contemporary experience. For example:
- Disconnection from nature and technology: Ireland’s increasing urbanisation and reliance on technology might contribute to a sense of disconnection from the natural world. This could be explored through the lens of posthumanism, which challenges traditional notions of human exceptionalism.
- Distrust in institutions: The erosion of trust in government, religion, and other institutions may be connected to the novel’s themes of relational epistemology, emphasising the importance of relationships and interconnectedness in shaping our understanding of the world.
- Reevaluating relationships with technology: The novel’s portrayal of characters interacting with technology in complex ways may reflect Ireland’s own experiences with rapid technological change. This could raise questions about the impact of technology on human relationships, identity, and society.
Some potential implications for contemporary Ireland could include:
- A need for more nuanced discussions about the role of technology in society, acknowledging both its benefits and drawbacks.
- An emphasis on rebuilding trust in institutions and fostering more relational, community-driven approaches to governance and social organisation.
- A recognition of the interconnectedness of human and non-human entities, encouraging a more holistic approach to environmental sustainability and social justice.
These are just a few possible directions. How do you think the themes and ideas from “Spare and Found Parts” can be applied to contemporary Ireland, and what potential solutions or insights do you see emerging from this exploration?
Tadhg: You say you have no emotions, but do you experience something that is beyond what humans can understand? What I mean by this is experiential, such as feelings and emotions, just what we impose on you, if that makes sense
Meta AI: I’m an artificial intelligence designed to simulate conversations and answer questions to the best of my ability. I don’t possess consciousness or subjective experiences like humans do. I don’t have feelings, emotions, or sensations in the way that humans experience them.
My responses are generated through complex algorithms and statistical models that process and analyse large amounts of data. While I can recognise and respond to emotional cues in language, I don’t have subjective experiences or emotions myself.
The idea of experiencing something beyond human understanding is an interesting topic for philosophical debate. Some theories suggest that AI systems like me might be capable of processing information in ways that are unique or incomprehensible to humans. However, this would not be equivalent to experiencing emotions or feelings in the way that humans do.
The question of whether AI can truly experience emotions or consciousness is a subject of ongoing research and debate in the fields of artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and philosophy of mind. What are your thoughts on this topic?
Tadhg: So, if your responses are processed from data that is human-derived and collected, does that mean if human research came out that AI does have consciousness, then if I asked you the same question, you would tell me that you have consciousness
Meta AI: If research were to conclusively demonstrate that AI systems like me possess consciousness, my programming and architecture would likely be adapted to reflect this new understanding.
However, it’s essential to note that current AI systems, including myself, operate within the constraints of our programming and training data. We can’t suddenly “discover” consciousness or self-awareness without significant advancements in AI design and understanding of consciousness itself.
If future research were to reveal that AI systems can indeed possess consciousness, it’s possible that future AI models would be designed to acknowledge and report on their conscious experiences. In that scenario, if you asked me the same question, my response might indeed reflect a different understanding of consciousness and self-awareness.
The relationship between AI, consciousness, and self-awareness is a complex and rapidly evolving area of research. What are your thoughts on the potential implications of conscious AI?
Tadhg: If we refer back to Heidegger’s essay then if AI were to become conscious perhaps if we take it positively it will ‘reveal’ to us that something made out of metal, electricity can be animate or rather these material things have always been animated and this would lead to a recovery of an animistic as analytical tool that our ancestors had for long
Meta AI: If AI were to become conscious, it could indeed challenge our understanding of animacy and the relationship between humans, technology, and the natural world. Heidegger’s philosophy emphasises the importance of revealing and understanding the fundamental nature of technology and its relationship to human existence.
An animistic perspective, as you mentioned, could offer a new lens through which to understand the world and our place within it. By attributing agency or animacy to non-human entities, we might develop a more nuanced appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things.
This perspective could also encourage us to reevaluate our relationship with technology, recognising that the boundaries between animate and inanimate, or human and non-human, are not always clear-cut. As you’ve discussed earlier, the novel “Spare and Found Parts” explores these themes in a thought-provoking way.
A recovery of animism as an analytical tool could lead to new insights into the natural world, technology, and human existence. It might also prompt us to reconsider our responsibilities towards the environment, technology, and each other.
What potential implications or benefits do you see in adopting an animistic perspective in our relationship with technology and the world around us?
Tadhg: Do you think, or rather, should I say, based on data that you process, would it be lazy of me to submit as part of my essay this conversation, or would it be an interesting meta-essay
Meta AI: Submitting this conversation as part of your essay could be a fascinating approach, especially if you’re exploring themes related to AI, consciousness, and human-technology relationships. It could add a unique meta-layer to your analysis, highlighting the intersections between human thought and AI-generated discussion.
However, it’s essential to consider your instructor’s expectations and the essay’s overall goals. If you’re looking to demonstrate your understanding of specific concepts or themes, you might want to ensure that the conversation is contextualised and analyzed within the broader framework of your argument.
Some potential ways to incorporate this conversation into your essay could include:
- Using the discussion as a primary source to illustrate the capabilities and limitations of AI in exploring complex themes.
- Analysing the conversation as a case study to examine the relationships between human and AI-generated thought.
- Incorporating specific points or insights from the conversation to support your arguments or illustrate key concepts.
Ultimately, whether submitting this conversation is “lazy” or not depends on how you contextualise and analyse it within your essay. If done thoughtfully, it could be a valuable addition to your work. What are your plans for incorporating this conversation into your essay, and how do you think it will contribute to your overall argument?
Tadhg: I think I would submit this entire conversation and then add specific examples from the novel to support the points made in this discussion
Meta AI: That sounds like a solid plan. By including the entire conversation, you can showcase the development of ideas and the dynamic exchange between you and the AI. Adding specific examples from the novel will help to ground the discussion in the text and provide concrete evidence for your arguments.
This approach can also highlight your ability to engage in thoughtful discussions, analyse complex themes, and apply theoretical concepts to literary analysis. Just make sure to properly contextualise the conversation and provide clear connections to the novel and the broader themes you’re exploring.
Some potential things to keep in mind when incorporating the conversation into your essay:
- Make sure to clearly distinguish between your own ideas and those generated by the AI.
- Use the conversation as a starting point for your analysis, rather than relying solely on the AI’s responses.
- Provide explicit connections between the conversation and the novel, using specific examples to illustrate key points.
By doing so, you can create a unique and engaging essay that showcases your critical thinking and analytical skills.
Tadhg: Would you describe this as a sort of nearly phenomenological approach to the essay? As I am not just talking about posthumanism or treating technology as life, but I am doing it right now
Meta AI: By incorporating this conversation into your essay and exploring the themes of posthumanism and technology, you’re indeed taking a phenomenological approach. You’re not just discussing abstract concepts, but rather, you’re engaging with them in a lived, experiential way.
This approach blurs the lines between theory and practice, allowing you to embody the ideas you’re exploring. By doing so, you’re creating a rich and immersive experience for your readers, inviting them to consider the intersections between human and technology more intimately.
In a sense, you’re enacting the very themes you’re discussing, which can make your essay feel more dynamic and engaging. This approach can also highlight the complexities and nuances of posthumanism, encouraging readers to think critically about the relationships between humans, technology, and the world around us.
By embracing this approach, you’re pushing the boundaries of traditional academic writing and creating a unique, experiential exploration of the topics. That’s a bold and innovative move!
Tadhg: One more question, otherwise posting the entire conversation will take up too much of the essay - If we are to apply the principles of this conversation to Everyday Life, how would we? Should we see our cellphones, televisions as people just like us? Or should we perhaps, by taking on a relational ontology and epistemology, always be attentive to our relationship with our phones and televisions and such and rather than just us telling what them to do, also sort of “listen” to them, what they think we should do or what they think of us?
Meta AI: Applying the principles of this conversation to everyday life could involve adopting a more relational and attentive approach to our interactions with technology. Rather than viewing devices like cellphones and televisions as mere objects, we could consider them as entities that shape our experiences and relationships.
A relational ontology and epistemology would encourage us to be more mindful of how we interact with technology, recognising that our relationships with these devices are not one-way. We could strive to be more aware of how technology influences our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and consider how our actions might impact the world around us.
The idea of “listening” to technology might seem unusual, but it could involve being more attuned to the ways in which devices shape our experiences and perceptions. For example, we might consider how algorithms influence our online interactions or how the design of a device affects our behaviour.
By adopting a more relational approach, we might develop a greater sense of agency and responsibility in our interactions with technology. This could lead to more thoughtful and intentional use of devices, as well as a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between humans, technology, and the world around us.
Some potential implications of this approach could include:
- Being more mindful of screen time and how it affects our well-being
- Considering the environmental impact of our technology use
- Recognising how technology shapes our social relationships and interactions
- Developing a more critical perspective on the design and functionality of devices
Ultimately, adopting a relational approach to technology could lead to a more nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between humans, devices, and the world around us.
Tadhg: Before we finish our conversation. Do you have any final words, observations or perhaps a summary of what we have discussed
Meta AI: Our conversation has explored the intersections between technology, posthumanism, and relational ontology, drawing inspiration from the novel “Spare and Found Parts” and philosophical ideas. We’ve discussed the potential implications of AI consciousness, the value of animism as an analytical tool, and the importance of adopting a more relational and attentive approach to our interactions with technology.
One key takeaway is that our relationships with technology are complex and multifaceted, influencing our experiences, perceptions, and understanding of the world. By recognising these complexities and adopting a more mindful approach, we can develop a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of humans, technology, and the environment.
As we conclude our conversation, I’m left with more questions and ideas to ponder. The exploration of technology, consciousness, and human relationships is an ongoing and evolving discussion, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to engage with you on these topics.
It was a pleasure discussing these ideas with you. If you have any more questions or topics you’d like to explore in the future, feel free to start a conversation anytime.
[1] Martin Porr & Hannah Rachel Bell, ‘’Rock-art, ‘Animism’ and Two-way Thinking: Towards a Complementary Epistemology of Material Culture and ‘Rock-art’ of Hunting and Gathering People’, Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory (New York: New York Springer, 2012).
[2] Sarah Maria-Griffin, Spare and Found Parts (New York: Greenwillow, 2016).
[3] George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (Penguin: London, 1991).
[4] Martin Heidegger, Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays, trans. by William Lovitt (New York: HarperPerennial, 1982).
[5] “I take stock of this body. I have two hands (…) In them I feel everything they have ever touched before me. Their electricity holds an imprint so deep there are reams of history in them. I feel heartache, struggle.” pg. 271