The Fusion of Brain and Technology, and Human Nature / [Book Review] 'Natural-Born Cyborgs'

The "cyborg" has often been a subject of our imagination in novels and films. However, according to the author of this book, Andy Clark, the cyborg is by no means a fictional entity. In fact, he argues that we humans are already "natural-born cyborgs."

Andy Clark is a unique and extraordinary philosopher. Working in the field of cognitive science, he explores cognition and the mind by weaving together insights from psychology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and more. Tracing his career, from the 1980s he developed arguments explaining and accepting "connectionism." Then, from the late 1990s, while also incorporating so-called "dynamical systems theory," he has pushed forward the idea of "cognition consisting of the interaction between brain, body, and environment." This book, written in 2003, is positioned as an extension of that discussion.

So, what kind of existence does Clark define as a "cyborg"? In a word, it is an existence that actively utilizes technology and the environment to expand its own cognitive abilities. The technology referred to here does not need to be body-embedded or wire-connected. It could be a smartphone, pen and paper, or even written or spoken language. If one connects with them in a close manner and acts as one with them to perform better problem-solving, then that existence is a cyborg.

Thus, the fusion of biology and technology—specifically, the information-processing fusion of the biological brain and non-biological resources (tools)—is the true nature of the cyborg as described in this book. If so, what characteristics do both have that make such a fusion possible?

First, regarding technology, Clark emphasizes its "transparency." That is, an important characteristic of technology here is that it is easily and immediately accessible to the user, and (as a result) becomes almost invisible during use. On the other hand, regarding our brains, he says that their "plasticity" and "opportunism" are important. Even the brain, an excellent information-processing device, has limits to its capabilities and tasks it is not good at. Therefore, it is thought that our brains actively use the surrounding environment to reduce their own cognitive load.

As an easy-to-understand example, let's consider the situation of calculating "81 x 37." There are probably not many people who can immediately arrive at the answer just by calculating in their heads. But conversely, if you use pen and paper, the vast majority of people should be able to get the answer relatively easily. And what we are doing at that time is breaking the calculation down into simple steps (7x1=7, 7x8=56, ...), writing down the results of each step externally, and finally adding them all up. But that is exactly an example of a plastic and opportunistic brain skillfully using transparent tools and the external environment (pen, paper, written numbers). In this way, the brain offloads its cognitive burden onto the surrounding world, making possible what it could not do on its own. The ideas of "cognition consisting of the interaction between brain, body, and environment" or the "extended mind" emerge precisely based on these points.

Finally, let me emphasize one more thing: Clark's "view of humanity." According to him, we are not just cyborgs, but "natural-born" cyborgs. In other words, we are cyborgs by our very nature. We humans actively utilize technology and the environment to expand our own cognitive abilities. And by doing so, we create a "smart world," and by incorporating parts of it into ourselves, we further enhance our own cognitive abilities. According to Clark, that way of being is precisely human nature, and it is what distinguishes us from other animals.

The above is the gist of the arguments in this book (especially up to Chapter 3). However, apart from these points, the book is scattered with many interesting ideas, making it like a treasure trove of ideas. These include the role of language as a cognitive catalyst (Chapter 3), the influence of technology on the sense of position and self (Chapters 4 and 5), and the potential harms that near-future technology could bring (Chapter 7). In particular, the discussion on recent technology is the book's greatest appeal, but since I could not introduce it sufficiently here, I hope you will consult the book itself.

Like his previous book, 'Being There,' this Japanese translation was published quite a long time after the original. However, the appeal of this book has not faded; on the contrary, now that technologies like smartphones have become widespread, we may be able to understand his arguments well with a sense of reality. Because it is a philosophy book, reading through it will likely not be very easy. However, since seeds of brilliant ideas are sown throughout, I hope many people will take on the challenge of reading this book.

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Andy Clark is one of my favorite philosophers. I looked through the original English version when I was a student, and this previous book also greatly excited me.