Redefining the Human: Critical Posthumanist Perspectives in Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun and Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon

Abstract

In a world where humans occupy the most superior place in the hierarchy of beings, the gradual transformation of humans into a hybrid structure raises complex ethical and moral questions regarding the application of science and technology. This leads to a greater prevalence of transhumanism and posthumanism in literature. In this vein, in Klara and the Sun (2021), Kazuo Ishiguro highlights the unethical use of artificial intelligence through human-centred transhumanist initiatives and the potential risks of genetically modifying humans for a more advantageous generation. The author indicates deep concerns about the changing social dynamics due to artificial intelligence advances while confronting the reader with pivotal epistemic, ontological, and ethical questions regarding human and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, Daniel Keyes, whose works explore psychological and ethical themes and the human condition and limits of human potential, draws attention to issues similar to Ishiguro’s in his science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon (1966). Delicately examining questions about the intersection of technology and humanity, which form the basis of posthumanist philosophy, the author foregrounds the moral and ethical principles that transhumanism misses through his mentally disabled protagonist. Reading the novels from a critical posthumanist perspective, this article aims to focus on the authors’ endeavour to raise awareness about humans’ association with science and technology, their interconnectedness with other life forms, and the features that make humans human. The study draws attention to the common aspects of the two novels from a critical post-humanist perspective, focusing on the ethical and moral dilemmas associated with technological progress and the potential loss of human essence. Despite the significant time difference of around sixty years between the novels, this research aims to identify the similarities in their exploration of these themes.

Keywords

• Transhumanism
• Posthumanism
• Kazuo Ishiguro
• Daniel Keyes

Redefining the Human: Critical Posthumanist Perspectives in Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun and Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon

Abstract

İnsanın, varlıklar hiyerarşisinde en üstün yeri işgal ettiği bir dünyada, giderek melez bir yapıya bürünmesi, bilim ve teknolojinin uygulanmasına dair karmaşık etik ve ahlaki soruları gündeme getirmektedir. Bu durum edebiyatta transhümanizm ve posthümanizmin daha yaygın kullanılmasına yol açmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara ve Güneş’te (2021) insan merkezli transhümanist girişimler aracılığıyla yapay zekânın etik dışı kullanımına ve daha avantajlı bir nesil için insanları genetik olarak değiştirmenin potansiyel risklerine dikkat çeker. Yazar, yapay zekânın ilerlemesiyle değişen toplumsal dinamiklere dair derin kaygılarını dile getirirken, okuru insan ve yapay zekâya dair epistemik, ontolojik ve etik açıdan önemli sorularla yüzleştirir. Öte yandan, eserlerinde psikolojik ve etik temalar ile insanlık durumu ve insan potansiyelinin sınırlarını inceleyen Daniel Keyes, bilimkurgu romanı Algernon’a Çiçekler'de (1966) Ishiguro’ya benzer konulara dikkat çeker. Posthümanist felsefenin temelini oluşturan teknoloji ve insanlığın kesişimine dair soruları incelikle irdeleyen yazar, zihinsel engelli kahramanı üzerinden transhümanizmin ıskaladığı ahlaki ve etik ilkeleri ön plana çıkarır. Romanları eleştirel posthümanist bir perspektiften okuyan bu makale, yazarların insanın bilim ve teknolojiyle olan ilişkisi, diğer yaşam formlarıyla olan bağları ve insanı insan yapan özellikler hakkında farkındalık yaratma çabalarına odaklanmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, teknolojik ilerleme ve insan özünün potansiyel kaybıyla ilişkili etik ve ahlaki ikilemlere odaklanarak eleştirel bir post-hümanist bakış açısıyla iki romanın ortak yönlerine dikkat çekmektedir. Romanlar arasında yaklaşık altmış yıllık önemli zaman farkına rağmen çalışma, romanların bu temaları ele almadaki benzerlikleri tespit etmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

• Transhumanizm
• Posthumanizm
• Kazuo Ishiguro
• Daniel Keyes

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