Living biotechnical lives: noise, parasites, and relational practices
Loading...
Access rights
openAccess
URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
This publication is imported from Aalto University research portal.
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Other link related to publication (opens in new window)
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Other link related to publication (opens in new window)
Authors
Date
2022-07
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
9
1-9
1-9
Series
Artnodes, Volume 2022, issue 30
Abstract
Life in the era of biotechnology opens up opportunities but also poses challenges related to our values and questions regarding the way we want to see coexistence on our planet, which is inhabited by many species. The parasite is our case study and an interesting concept that we inherit from biology but which is also addressed in humanism and philosophy. As humans, we commonly understand the concept of a parasite as a negative one that suggests someone or something which benefits at our expense. However, French philosopher Michel Serres had a different view of the parasite. According to him, the parasite is based on relationships between different entities, and there is often noise in these relationships. Serres refers to biologist Henri Atlan, who has argued that said noise forces the system to reorganize itself in a way that incorporates the noise into the complex system. The idea of noise as an integrated part of the system is quite far from today’s thought processes with the development of bio/technology that typically aims to be noiseless and error-free and have aesthetically attractive results. Therefore, although parasites are often associated with terms such as inhospitable, undesirable, and disgusting and are seen to be located outside of art and technology, in this paper, we argue that the concept of something parasitical is tightly intertwined with our contemporary biotechnical lives. The article relates Serres’ parasitic thinking to an artistic mediation of the biological parasite: the tick.Description
Keywords
parasite, Serres, biology, technology, noise, ticks, relations, biotechnology, evolution
Other note
Citation
Søndergaard , M & Beloff , L 2022 , ' Living biotechnical lives: noise, parasites, and relational practices ' , Artnodes , vol. 2022 , no. 30 , pp. 1-9 . https://doi.org/10.7238/artnodes.v0i30.402841