Call For Chapters

Emerging Human-Machine Technologies

Edited by Steven John Thompson

Existing publications consider the science and technology afforded the human-machine, and all of the inner workings for making the cyborg creation a reality. The idea of a universal forum that discovers, explores, and prepares the way for eventual large-scale cyborg sociocultural integration, which just a few years ago would have been incredulous, is now upon us as evidenced in the proximity at which science and technology are rapidly arriving at machine sentience. Even with potential sentience a few years down the road, and prospects of sentience leading to interactive communication between cyborgs and humans at any conceivable level perhaps years away from that, it is time for a worthy publication committed to the goal of addressing critical, foundational aspects of the study of cyborgs, including their creation, governance, rights, expectations for participation in digital society, and other imperative aspects of their impending existence alongside their human inhabitants in this world.

Emerging Human-Machine Technologies will publish high-quality, anonymously peer-reviewed essays that explore universal concerns, ethics, objectives, and principles in aspects of human enhancement technologies related to human-machines, machine-humans, their cyber-relatives, and proliferation of cyborg activity, culture, engineering, society, and technology. This volume will include groundbreaking and exploratory author contributions from engineers, practitioners, researchers, scholars, scientists, theorists, political scientists, lawyers, philosophers, ethicists, and human factors technologists who work closely theoretically or in practice with select human enhancement technologies, synthetic biological sciences, military advancements, robotics engineering, nanoscience technologies, and related allied research interests. The book will provide a forum for cybernetics issues in the humanities in emerging technologies, including research into design, engineering, and technological aspects of human-machine creation and existence for potential acceptance, ethics, participation, policy, governance, and socialization between individuals and corporate, global, networked, human-machine experience.

Ashgate Publishing has already expressed interest in this volume for its Emerging Technologies, Ethics and International Affairs series with selected abstracts to be duly considered by publisher.

Possible Topics

Human-Machine Theory and Definition
• Body and Machine
• Creation and Machination
• Enhancement and Modification
• Cyborg Technical Engineering Issues

• Uses in Science, Technology, Medicine, and Society

Human-Machine Creation and Psychosocial Assimilation

• Cyborg Culture

• Current Human-Machine Artificial Intelligence Initiatives
• Human-Machine Mental Health and Psychology

• Cyborgs in Contemporary Societies
• Cyborgs in the Media

• Technological Advances and Concerns

Human-Machine Ethics and Philosophy
• Attributes and Consequences of Bionic Implants and Related Interfaces
• Core Human Enhancement Technology Concerns

• Human Rights and Requisite Modifications as Societal Controls
• Cyborg Values and Freedoms of Expression

• Metaphysical Moments
• Ethics in Health and Safety Concerns

Human-Machine Policy and Regulation
• Species Control and Potential Societal Threat
• Intimacies with Corporations, Governments, and Military Axes
• Issues in Development
• Trends in Cyborg Control, Governance, and Policy Issues

Human-Machines, Cyborgenics, Digitality, and Neuronics
• Access, Availability, and Privilege Afforded Human to Cyborg Alteration
• Corporate Technological Production and Purposed Results
• Pervasive Human-Machine Ubiquity
• Current Trends in Cyborgenics
• Participation in The Collective Hive of Perpetually Networked Humans and Machines

Submission Guidelines

Deadline for abstracts (200-500 words) in MS Word or PDF format is September 15, 2014.

Tentative deadline for drafts of accepted papers (5000-7000 words) is December 31, 2014.

All inquiries and submissions should be directed to Steve Thompson as rhetorist@dartmouth.edu.