A Cyborg Manifesto

“The boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion.”

In introducing her conception of a “cyborg,” Haraway explains that even though cyborgs usually exist only in science fiction, they also exist in social reality, introducing the theme of The Rejection of Rigid Boundaries and Identities. Proposing that the boundary between fantasy and reality doesn’t really exist is one way of phrasing one of the essay’s central arguments. All boundaries, in Haraway’s view, are social constructions that can be broken down with a change in mindset.

“The cyborg is our ontology; it gives us our politics.”

Ontology in this context means a manner of existing. Haraway will later explain that the cyborg is a metaphor for a society made up of interconnected networks, where there are no impermeable boundaries. This is a basic ontology, and most of the essay is dedicated to explaining all the social and political implications of this way of being.

“Christian creationism should be fought as a form of child abuse.”

Haraway justifies her proposal for erasing the distinction between human and animal by citing evolutionary theory. From an evolutionary standpoint, the line between human and animal is blurry and arbitrary. Haraway takes a controversial stance here on Christianity, which reflects the emotionally charged and politically tumultuous culture at the time she is writing.