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"The first thing that's wrong with being a science-fiction writer today is that the present has caught up with the future and surpassed it."
- Peter Watts
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| Haberman | ||
| Modified humans controlled by cybernetic implants. |
A human that have been modified from most sensory reception, while their bodily functions are controlled by cybernetic implants. Habermans are needed to crew spacecraft, since unmodified humans would not be able to withstand the "pain of space". The Great Pain of space is a side effect of interstellar travel, which causes a desire for death in living beings.
| "And how, O Scanners, are habermans made?"
"They are made with the cuts. The brain is cut from the heart, the lungs. The brain is cut from the ears, the nose. The brain is cut from the mouth, the belly. The brain is cut from desire, and pain. The brain is cut from the world. Save for the eyes. Save for the control of the living flesh" "And how...is flesh controlled?" "By the boxes set in the flesh, the controls set in the chest, the signs made to rule the living body..." “How does a haberman live and live?” “The haberman lives by control of the boxes.” |
| Technovelgy from Scanners Live in Vain,
by Cordwainer Smith. Published by Fantasy Publishing Co. Inc. in 1950 Additional resources -
|
Most of the people who have undergone the Haberman process are condemned criminals; they have no rights and are terminated when no longer useful.
The eponymous "Scanners" are volunteers who undergo the haberman creation process. Since Habermans tend to be robotic and disturbed as a result of their condition, they need constant supervision and adjustment. Scanners makes sure the habbermans survive, or if need be, kill them.
Thanks to Gatomon41 for submitting this item!
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