ABSTRACT
To discuss “posthumanism” can be an emotional issue. For, it is easy to believe that posthumanism implies humanity’s possible extinction, a prospect that without doubt causes consternation in any human reader. Within the context of critical theory, there are indeed some theorists who view mankind’s development of intelligent machines and information superhighways as leading inevitably to the end of humanity. A prominent example is Friedrich Kittler, who argues that humans are merely a by-product in the development of ever more effi cient processes of information exchange. Paul Virilio and Manuel De Landa, meanwhile, argue that humans are also potentially redundant in a world predicated upon surveillance technologies and war machinery (see also Johnston).
