Theses on the Cyborg

Notes towards a political epistemology of the posthuman

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34024/prometeica.2025.32.20457

Keywords:

Cyborg, Posthuman, Political Epistemology, Karl Marx, Hanna Arendt

Abstract

This paper proposes a contemporary reconsideration of the cyborg based on a critical review of its philosophical foundations in the cybernetic theory of highly complex machines. Drawing on the work of Norbert Wiener, Ross Ashby, Francisco Varela, and Humberto Maturana, among others, I propose that the cyborg should be conceived as a conceptual expression of the autopoietic nature of the human as a humachine reality generated from complex couplings between biological, technomaterial, and imaginic elements. Placing it in dialogue with Karl Marx and Hanna Arendt, I argue that the cyborg allows us to establish the conceptual foundations for a political epistemology of the posthuman that supports a critical and transformative perspective on contemporary hypermediated reality.

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Author Biography

  • Rafael Alarcón Medina, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte

    He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology of Communication and Education from the Autonomous University of Guerrero, and a Master's and PhD in Sociology from the Benemérita Autonomous University of Puebla. He has specialized studies in Communication and Information Studies from the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He also completed postdoctoral studies in Architecture and Urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Cultural Studies at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana, and is a member of the Mexican National System of Researchers (SNI, Level 1).

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Prometeica v.32

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Published

2025-10-18

Issue

Vol. 32 (2025): Prometeica - v 32 (03/2025 - 12/2025)

Section

Articles - Dossier 2

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Copyright (c) 2025 Rafael Alarcón Medina

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Received 2025-04-24
Accepted 2025-07-22
Published 2025-10-18

How to Cite

Alarcón Medina, R. (2025). Theses on the Cyborg: Notes towards a political epistemology of the posthuman. Prometeica - Journal of Philosophy and Science, 32, e20457 (1-14). https://doi.org/10.34024/prometeica.2025.32.20457