Week1

What is Life? How would you define it, can you actually define it?

Defining “what is life” is a awkward question. So, I would like to point the part of significant elements that Life includes, instead of putting exact answer. The word “Life” reminds me an aggregation that is continuously moving. In my thought, Life is related to continuousness, because it renews our bodies by metabolisms, and hand down something to the next generation by reproduction. In addition, Life is not single but many: it is both the process and results of various species’ work and interactions. We can see Life in many scales – microbiomes, groups of plants, animals, and insects, and ecosystems – but what is most important is no living things cannot live without the relation with other living things. We co-exist by making use of each other, for example, eating, hunting, and parasitizing.

What is BioHacking? What does it mean for you?

A social scientist Sarah Davies who studies hackerspace says in her book that hacking(including DIY) is a practice to open “blackbox.” In other words, hacking is a sort of critical attitude against the exist world that is closed and hidden from us by showing material alternatives.”Tweaking and making things work better you means that you have to think in new ways about what objects or technologies can do, hacking them away from their original purpose or design into something new, different and perhaps surprising” (Davies 2017: 67). Followed Davies’s argument, people do hacking for knowing more about technologies and for getting more closer to the invisible world by making something by making something by their own.

Speaking of BioHacking, it also the challenge to open the blackbox of our bodies, the systems of living things, or life itself. Biohackers are curious about how we look into and engage in (your or other’s)life or how to apply life expressions (like arts). Also, same as hacking, BioHacking has the side of grassroots movements that doesn’t rely on only professionals and try do-it-yourself. They do not insists of following royal road of biology. Rather, they are trying to find something other way that can be done in their own way. It could be said that the grass-roots and original practices related to biology is the big characteristics of BioHacking. In this sense, BioHacking could be a clue or route for those who seek the way to engage with bio in some way.

As a social scientist, my interests is in the Biohacker and social/cultural side of Biohacking. Although I may not be enthusiastic about Biohacking itself as other participants, I have a sense of anticipation for Biohacking because it could expand the extent of actor that involved in biology and make new way to doing science. Not only feeling of anticipation, however, I have also a feeling of awe about BioHacking. BioHacking may have an effect to human body and ecosystems by intervening and transforming them. So I think it is necessary to discuss about to what extent can we do BioHacking freely, how can Biohacker know both the possibility and risks of Biohacking.

Why are you interested in Bio?

I am interested in Bio because bio is fundamental of nature, bodies, and our lives. At the same time, bio is full of mystery like the universe which is endless, and nobody has never saw the end. That is the reason Bio has a gravity that attracts people for centuries.（…）
As symbolized by the DIYbio, various people has try to joining to know and do biology in this decade. I am curious about why Bio fascinates people, and how forms of Bio might transform in near future.
The story may goes away, I am also interested in the cultural and social power of biology. What is regarded as “right” (facts, tools, therapies etc. ) has changed/would change as time passed, and that always has influenced on how people live. Biomedicine not only improve treatments, it give birth the sociality like patient groups. It can go wrong by making categorization of people that could cause restriction or discrimination. So, I would like to know the boundary-making by Bio and the interactions of Bio and people.

***