Cryonics: Science or Religion.
Cryonics
Death
Religion
Science
Journal
Journal of religion and health
ISSN: 1573-6571
Titre abrégé: J Relig Health
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 2985199R
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Aug 2022
Aug 2022
Historique:
accepted:
16
12
2020
pubmed:
2
2
2021
medline:
28
7
2022
entrez:
1
2
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Cryonics involves the low-temperature freezing of human corpses in the hope that they will one day be reanimated. Its advocates see it as a medical treatment but as in any medical procedure, this presupposes some scientific evidence. This paper examines the scientific basis of this technology and argues that cryonics is based upon assertions which have never been (and potentially can never be empirically demonstrated) scientifically. After providing a general overview of cryogenic preservation, I discuss how advocates of this technology have conceptualized death and more specifically their notion of information-theoretic death. I conclude that cryonics is based upon a naive faith rather than upon science. It does what David Chidester (2005) calls 'religious work,' even if it is not explicitly religious. It offers transcendence over death.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33523374
doi: 10.1007/s10943-020-01166-6
pii: 10.1007/s10943-020-01166-6
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
3164-3176Informations de copyright
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.
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