What is a Cyberpunk anyway?
The Cyberpunk Person, the pilot who thinks clearly and creatively, using quantum-electronic appliances and brain know-how, is the newest, updated, top-of-the-line model of our species, homo sapiens sapiens, cyberneticus. -Timothy Leary
 Cyberpunks have been an integral part of every stage of human history. They are those with high self-esteem and according to Timothy Leary, "use all available data input to think for themselves" (Leary, 1991). Some other preferred nomenclatures for the Cyberpunk are "mavericks, ronin, freelancers, independents, self-starters, nonconformists,  oddballs, troublemakers, kooks, visionaries, iconoclasts, insurgents, blue-sky thinkers, loners, and smart-alecks" (Leary, 1991). They are most often labeled as being "clever, creative, entrepreneurial, imaginative, enterprising, fertile, ingenious, inventive, resourceful, talented, eccentric" (Leary, 1991). These individuals are un-branded and are usually at odds with some of our most sacred institutions. Governments are scared of them because their ultra self-reliance decentralizes their control and power. Religions hate them because they question the fundamental foundation on which they lie. Although western society's institutions and philosophies are at odds with the cyberpunk, they still rely on these individuals in times of change and progress, two areas of which they specialize.
The term cyberpunk was coined by psychologist, explorer, teacher, author, revolutionary Timothy Leary. According to Leary, the term and concept of cyber most specifically means "pilot" (Leary, 1991). The "cyberperson" is one who pilots his/her own life and uses theories, models, paradigms, metaphors, images, and icons to map and define our reality (Leary, 1991). The tools of the modern 21st century cyberpunk are the various forms of electronic media, which he/she uses to navigate the changing environment. The emergence of these technologies has changed many aspects of our society, from the way we identify with and perceive our reality, to the way we access and acquire information. Our world is changing, and without cyberpunks as our pilots, we are hopeless. |
