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The cyborgization of the working man. Will the dignity of human labour survive? On the centenary of birth of Stanisław Lem

The article addresses the phenomenon of human cyborgization and its potential impact on the situation of the world of work. It was inspired by the centenary of birth of Stanisław Lem, an outstanding Polish author of science fiction literature, but also a visionary of the future. First, brief comments on the definition of cyborgization and its development in various aspects are presented. Then, the authors try to highlight those issues at the interface between cyborgization and the world of work, which will require analysis in the context of labour law, such as theemployee's right to neurological improvements (and also to refuse to apply them) and the ownership of these improvements in the employer-employee relationship. Next, questions are asked whether cyborg work will not be treated as a commodity and whether the current paradigm of the capitalist economy will force the pursuit of cyborgization of the working man. Finally, the issue of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the acceleration of cyborgization processes is raised. The article contains references to the works of s-f dealing with significant problems resulting from the potential artificial "augmenting" of the human.

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Keywords: cyborgization; the world of work; new technologies

References

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