The Ethics of Cryonics Is it Immoral to be Immortal?
Cryonics—also known as cryopreservation or cryosuspension—is the preservation of legally dead individuals at ultra-low temperatures. Those who undergo this procedure hope that future technology will not only succeed in reviving them, but also cure them of
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Francesca Minerva
The Ethics of Cryonics
Francesca Minerva
The Ethics of Cryonics Is it Immoral to be Immortal?
Francesca Minerva Philosophy and Moral Sciences University of Ghent Ghent, Vlaams Brabant, Belgium
ISBN 978-3-319-78598-1 ISBN 978-3-319-78599-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78599-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018939423 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover credit: Pattern adapted from an Indian cotton print produced in the 19th century Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Pivot imprint is published by the registered company Springer International Publishing AG part of Springer Nature. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
This book is dedicated to the memory of the people I miss and I wish I could see again: my aunts Masaria and Wanda, my grandparents Biagio, Liliana, and Saro, and family friends Cosimo and Cristina.
Preface
For the sake of transparency, I should clarify that, while I have not signed any personal arrangements to have myself cryopreserved, I have been considering the option for a number of years. In fact, I began writing this book as a means of consolidating and balancing my own views on a topic that has fascinated me for as long as I can recall. As a result, its argumentative structure strongly reflects my own indecision on the matters at stake, and my personal ambivalence towards indefinite life extension more generally. Most paragraphs start by presenting a certain argument against cryonics, and then continue by analysing counterarguments, counterarguments to those counterarguments, and so on. Unlike many cryo-enthusiasts, I have made a conscious effort not to dismiss objections to cryonics by overestimating the great potential of future technologies, and I
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