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The Ethics of Cryonics

Is it Immoral to be Immortal?

  • Book
  • © 2018

Overview

Authors:
  1. Francesca Minerva

    1. Philosophy and Moral Sciences, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium

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  • Reflects on the circumstances under which we would accept to be cryopreserved
  • Explores the meaning of life and living in the now
  • Outlines moral aspects of cryonics against practical considerations

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About this book

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 the condition that led to their demise. In this sense, some hope that cryopreservation will allow people to continue living indefinitely. This book discusses the moral concerns of cryonics, both as a medical procedure and as an intermediate step toward life extension. In particular, Minerva analyses the moral issues surrounding cryonics-related techniques (including the hypothetical cryosuspension of fetuses as an alternative to abortion) by focusing on how they might impact the individuals who undergo cryosuspension, as well as society at large. 

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Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
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  2. Part I

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-2
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    2. Pausing Death

      • Francesca Minerva
      Pages 3-22

    3. Resuming Life

      • Francesca Minerva
      Pages 23-43

  3. Part II

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 45-48
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    2. The Death Conundrum

      • Francesca Minerva
      Pages 49-66

    3. The Immortality Conundrum

      • Francesca Minerva
      Pages 67-94

  4. Part III

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 95-96
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    2. Cryothanasia

      • Francesca Minerva
      Pages 97-110

    3. Cryosuspension of Pregnancy

      • Francesca Minerva
      Pages 111-131

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 133-135
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Authors and Affiliations

  • Philosophy and Moral Sciences, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium

    Francesca Minerva

About the author

Francesca Minerva is FWO Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Ghent, Belgium. She has previously worked at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and she collaborates with various universities. Her main area of research is bioethics. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Ethics of Cryonics

  • Book Subtitle: Is it Immoral to be Immortal?

  • Authors: Francesca Minerva

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78599-8

  • Publisher: Palgrave Pivot Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-78598-1Published: 11 June 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-78599-8Published: 31 May 2018

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIII, 135

  • Topics: Science and Technology Studies, Bioethics, Biological and Physical Anthropology

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