Kathy Sirico
Short Issue Precis
“We’ve jumped over the walls of the human condition by
climbing on the backs of animals” (Holy Fire, Bruce Sterling p.17)
At the beginning of Bruce
Sterling’s Holy Fire, we meet the dog Plato, who is part of a much
bigger group of animal characters in Sterling’s future society who have taken
on human qualities through scientific manipulation. Plato appears as Martin’s
companion dog. Martin has put Plato through many longevity operations to make
him postcanine, allowing the dog to speak like a human, but to also be shut off
when necessary.
Although Plato has increased human intelligence, he is still very much owned by Martin, and still considered property. Plato is Martin’s property to alter without regard for the harm or stress it might cause the dog. His reasons for making Plato postcanine come down to both wanting a companion and testing the boundaries of posthuman extenstion by testing every process on Plato before he uses the same operations on himself—classic modern day animal testing reimagined in a futuristic society. He claims that it is cheaper to test things on animals than humans, however it is also clear that the posthumans in this narrative do not think about the animal suffering and still consider the dogs as having fewer feelings and pain tolerances than humans. Dogs are below humans and thus testing on them goes on without ethical dilemma, just like today. Instead of admitting outright that he has put Plato through potentially painful operations, Martin refers to Plato with terms like “resilient,” “heavily altered,” and “my good old dog.” These words are void of any notion of suffering and thus void of any responsibility.
Plato is postcanine, however this term is misleading. Martin has “upgraded” Plato based on human values and human scales of intelligence with total disregard for animal intelligences and abilities. Similar to the idea of the white man’s burden, Martin has taken it upon himself to help Plato out of his animal suffering and elevate him to what humans consider valuable. He assumes Plato is better off now than he was before because he is more like a human. Even later in the book when the hackers disrupt Martin’s virtual palace and Plato suffers the most, nobody thinks of him as suffering. Instead they see him as either a tool with which to find more information or a threat to their discoveries. Plato’s mind is virtually linked to Martin’s virtual world so his suffering must be a horrifying kind of mental torture. Strangely, the only person who sees this is the widow. At the end of the book, Mia recognizes Plato and the widow informs her that Plato no longer talks. The widow is trying to make Plato into a dog again to ease his suffering. Mia remarks that he looks much better. She never says that she’s glad he is not suffering or straining his mind—her world choice implies that value still lies in appearance, much like the values of the futuristic youth-obsessed world she resides in. In the end, even though Mia reaches a sort of “separate peace,” she still holds the values of her society and thus never fully transcends it.
Through these postcanines, Sterling is commenting on the issue of animal testing and human-centric views of the world. Every industry, particularly the cosmetics industry, uses animal testing before releasing their products on the market. Just like in Sterling’s futuristic society, we also value youth and beauty in today’s world. Celebrity culture and the cosmetics industry alone tell us that. Because of this fixation, only small groups (usually of vegans or vegetarians) pay attention to the products they use and if they are tested on animals. As a vegan, I pay more attention to this, but at a point it seems unavoidable that even the most diligent person might miss something, whether due to bad labeling or disguised ingredients. However, the larger issue is the total lack of compassion towards animals who suffer, whether through animal testing, factory farming, or abuse. This lack of compassion continues in other areas where a person of privilege sees others as below them, specifically racially or economically. To this point, it becomes an issue of white hetero-normative centric views and how destructive they are to a society of diverse individuals. As we look towards the “future” it is important to understand the importance of compassionate multiplistic thinking and acting, otherwise someone will always suffer, and another will always oppress.
Although Plato has increased human intelligence, he is still very much owned by Martin, and still considered property. Plato is Martin’s property to alter without regard for the harm or stress it might cause the dog. His reasons for making Plato postcanine come down to both wanting a companion and testing the boundaries of posthuman extenstion by testing every process on Plato before he uses the same operations on himself—classic modern day animal testing reimagined in a futuristic society. He claims that it is cheaper to test things on animals than humans, however it is also clear that the posthumans in this narrative do not think about the animal suffering and still consider the dogs as having fewer feelings and pain tolerances than humans. Dogs are below humans and thus testing on them goes on without ethical dilemma, just like today. Instead of admitting outright that he has put Plato through potentially painful operations, Martin refers to Plato with terms like “resilient,” “heavily altered,” and “my good old dog.” These words are void of any notion of suffering and thus void of any responsibility.
Plato is postcanine, however this term is misleading. Martin has “upgraded” Plato based on human values and human scales of intelligence with total disregard for animal intelligences and abilities. Similar to the idea of the white man’s burden, Martin has taken it upon himself to help Plato out of his animal suffering and elevate him to what humans consider valuable. He assumes Plato is better off now than he was before because he is more like a human. Even later in the book when the hackers disrupt Martin’s virtual palace and Plato suffers the most, nobody thinks of him as suffering. Instead they see him as either a tool with which to find more information or a threat to their discoveries. Plato’s mind is virtually linked to Martin’s virtual world so his suffering must be a horrifying kind of mental torture. Strangely, the only person who sees this is the widow. At the end of the book, Mia recognizes Plato and the widow informs her that Plato no longer talks. The widow is trying to make Plato into a dog again to ease his suffering. Mia remarks that he looks much better. She never says that she’s glad he is not suffering or straining his mind—her world choice implies that value still lies in appearance, much like the values of the futuristic youth-obsessed world she resides in. In the end, even though Mia reaches a sort of “separate peace,” she still holds the values of her society and thus never fully transcends it.
Through these postcanines, Sterling is commenting on the issue of animal testing and human-centric views of the world. Every industry, particularly the cosmetics industry, uses animal testing before releasing their products on the market. Just like in Sterling’s futuristic society, we also value youth and beauty in today’s world. Celebrity culture and the cosmetics industry alone tell us that. Because of this fixation, only small groups (usually of vegans or vegetarians) pay attention to the products they use and if they are tested on animals. As a vegan, I pay more attention to this, but at a point it seems unavoidable that even the most diligent person might miss something, whether due to bad labeling or disguised ingredients. However, the larger issue is the total lack of compassion towards animals who suffer, whether through animal testing, factory farming, or abuse. This lack of compassion continues in other areas where a person of privilege sees others as below them, specifically racially or economically. To this point, it becomes an issue of white hetero-normative centric views and how destructive they are to a society of diverse individuals. As we look towards the “future” it is important to understand the importance of compassionate multiplistic thinking and acting, otherwise someone will always suffer, and another will always oppress.
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