현대시에 수용된 포스트휴먼기술 담론과 비주체의 윤리- 2010년대 이후 시를 중심으로

Abstract

This paper aims to examine how posthuman thought and reflection are realized in contemporary poetry. For this purpose, the discussions of Gilbert Simondon and the perspectives of Rosi Braidotti have been referenced. Simondon understands technology as a fundamental factor in the constitution of the human, emphasizing the ensemble relationship between humans and machines. Braidotti, on the other hand, highlights the zoe-geo-techno ensemble, where not only humans and machines but all living beings co-evolve in a mutually cooperative manner. The posthuman, composed of a zoe-geo-techno assemblage, is not an exclusive privilege of humans; rather, it is constituted through transversal relationships with non-human others. These relationships become possible by relinquishing the idea of privilege that places humans at the center of the world. In poetry, such relationships are realized through the gaps that emerge as the poet's consciousness collapses. However, the form of the subject that emerges at this point, and the nature of its relationships, are configured in distinctly different ways. In the works of some poets appear technological entities such as artificial intelligence (AI) robots, big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT). From a human perspective, these technological machines are often seen merely as tools to be used for improving life. However, poets breathe life into these machines, depicting them as companions. In these poems, machines are portrayed as cyborg entities that possess both human and machine characters. The poetic egos in these works demonstrate the possibility of coexistence by either opening up a space where reason dissipates as they abandon the will to transform (or modify) the object (as seen in Moon Jung-young’s work), or by engaging in emotional resonance through conversations with machine-human hybrids (as in the works of Kim Hye-young, Yoo Seung-hyun, and Kim Yeon-ah). In these relationships, machines and humans are depicted as mutually independent beings that empathize and cooperate with one another. Meanwhile, some poems depict humans who have been modified or newly born through technology. In these works, human beings are envisioned as hybrids, blending human, animal, and angelic qualities, such as the hybrids created by Shin Hae-wook, or the new human beings with wings and talons in Kim Bok-hee’s poetry. Other examples include the book-AI in Kim Jong-yeon’s work, which creates a new language (or memory) by erasing learned memories, and the bird consisting of only a heart in Lee Won’s poetry. These hybrid entities are evoked through images that intertwine various forms of life and language. From a human perspective, these hybrids might be considered non-human, abnormal, or monstrous beings that do not fit within the conventional subjectivity. Yet, paradoxically, by not belonging to a single species, these entities can transcend the boundaries of the human domain. These hybrids, which are neither human, machine, nor animal, embody the potential to become anything—they exist in the space between "no longer" and "not yet"— and emit the energy of life (zoe) newly generated across the binary division. This energy, representing a poetic force dreaming of a transition to a new world, emerges from the point of nothingness, where the consciousness of the self collapses. Recent poetry can be seen as moving beyond merely deconstructing the established concept of the human, toward exploring a posthuman subjectivity characterized by relational existence. Dialogues and empathy with cyborgs—beings that possess both machineness and humanness—illustrate the possibility of cooperative coexistence between humans and machines, challenging the traditional notion of humans as solely possessing and utilizing technology. Hybrid entities that simultaneously encompass the human, the technological, and the animal realms form a transversal ensemble that, while neither unified nor identical, exist together. These ensembles resist transnational economic logic and demonstrate a zoe-centered ethics of life through mutual solidarity and coexistence.