(bez virsraksta)
Apr. 2., 2025 | 09:22 pm
No:: f3
This quote comes from Donna Haraway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto” and encapsulates a key idea in her work. In essence, Haraway is challenging the notion that there can be one universal, flawless language or system (a “code”) that can capture and translate all meaning without loss or distortion. Here’s a breakdown:
Struggle for language: Haraway argues that our language isn’t neutral—it’s deeply tied to power, history, and identity. Political struggles, then, involve fighting for the kinds of language and meanings we use, rather than accepting a single, “perfect” way to communicate.
Against perfect communication: The ideal of perfect communication implies that there is one ultimate system capable of perfectly transmitting meaning. Haraway criticizes this as unrealistic and dangerous because it tends to erase differences and enforce a homogenized perspective.
The one code that translates all meaning perfectly: This refers to the belief in a universal language or system that can encapsulate all nuances and diversity. Haraway sees this as an extension of patriarchal thinking—what she calls “phallogocentrism”—where “phallo” highlights the dominance of masculine (patriarchal) norms and “logocentrism” refers to the belief in a single, central, and definitive meaning.
Central dogma of phallogocentrism: Just as the central dogma in biology describes a one-way flow of genetic information (DNA → RNA → Protein), this “dogma” in language enforces a one-way, rigid transmission of meaning. Haraway rejects this rigid structure because it supports systems of domination by not allowing for the messy, hybrid, and multiple ways in which meanings and identities are actually constructed.
In summary, Haraway’s idea of “cyborg politics” is about embracing the complexity, diversity, and hybridity of our identities and languages instead of subscribing to a neat, all-encompassing system that suppresses difference and reinforces traditional power structures.
Struggle for language: Haraway argues that our language isn’t neutral—it’s deeply tied to power, history, and identity. Political struggles, then, involve fighting for the kinds of language and meanings we use, rather than accepting a single, “perfect” way to communicate.
Against perfect communication: The ideal of perfect communication implies that there is one ultimate system capable of perfectly transmitting meaning. Haraway criticizes this as unrealistic and dangerous because it tends to erase differences and enforce a homogenized perspective.
The one code that translates all meaning perfectly: This refers to the belief in a universal language or system that can encapsulate all nuances and diversity. Haraway sees this as an extension of patriarchal thinking—what she calls “phallogocentrism”—where “phallo” highlights the dominance of masculine (patriarchal) norms and “logocentrism” refers to the belief in a single, central, and definitive meaning.
Central dogma of phallogocentrism: Just as the central dogma in biology describes a one-way flow of genetic information (DNA → RNA → Protein), this “dogma” in language enforces a one-way, rigid transmission of meaning. Haraway rejects this rigid structure because it supports systems of domination by not allowing for the messy, hybrid, and multiple ways in which meanings and identities are actually constructed.
In summary, Haraway’s idea of “cyborg politics” is about embracing the complexity, diversity, and hybridity of our identities and languages instead of subscribing to a neat, all-encompassing system that suppresses difference and reinforces traditional power structures.