But the logic behind cryonics is that even a person without a pulse can theoretically be revived if they are, say, given a new heart (perhaps created from their own skin cells using 3D bio-printing) and have their aging process cured once they are unfrozen, no?
Christianity and Cyronics, Thoughts?
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But the logic behind cryonics is that even a person without a pulse can theoretically be revived if they are, say, given a new heart (perhaps created from their own skin cells using 3D bio-printing) and have their aging process cured once they are unfrozen, no?
Key word there: theoretically.
And as for printing heart muscle from skin cells... well that's probably more doable than curing aging.
Curing aging could be centuries away, if not even longer than that. It's going to be an extremely massive challenge, no doubt, and will also raise other questions if it succeeds, such as whether fertility should be restricted Chinese-style in order to prevent chronic overpopulation.
True. i remember case of polish child saved after few hours under lake ice.
posh-goofiness
Well-known member
Cryogenics is fundamentally incompatible with Christianity. It is premised on the fact that soul does not exist and the totality of your being is encoded (in the chemical half) of the electrochemical processes in your brain. Trying to reconcile the two just will not work.
or you can take the view that the person is essentially just sleeping for a bit when the field is actually mature.
posh-goofiness
Well-known member
No. Cryogenics is the freezing of a dead body (or brain).
Minor nitpick, but what is dead has historically changed over time. AFAIK, in the past, once one's heart gave out, one was considered dead, but nowadays we're sometimes able to reactivate people's hearts before their brains and bodies become too damaged, thus ensuring that these people will survive. Cryonics aims to adopt similar logic: As in, preserve people's bodies and especially brains/heads in such a way that a future revival through advanced nanotechnology, 3D bio-printing of new organs and body parts, et cetera might eventually become possible. Sure, it's a long-shot, but then again, people in 1400 would have been extraordinarily amazed by 2022 levels of technology, so ...
It's an interesting question. My initial thought is to say that, assuming cryonics works to preserve the same thoughts and personality upon revival (and that's a really big assumption, science hasn't found a way yet [as far as we know]), then I would say it essentially counts was a way to extend your life. It's not immortality, not really, because you're still vulnerable to accidents, the device breaking down, other people purposefully shutting off or destroying it. And whatever device you're using will have a finite source of energy.
So, the real question is, is it wrong to use medicine and technology to extend your life? No, fundamentally, I don't think so. I mean, is it wrong to try to extend your life by using scientific discoveries in nutrition and exercise to guide your food and exercise choices? Is it wrong to use a kidney dialysis machine if your kidneys fail? I think if you're going to categorically say that using cryonics to sustain your life is evil, some kind of abomination, it raises questions about all other kinds of life-sustaining medical care.
And, from a Christian theological perspective, I don't think it really changes anything. Jesus will return one day to judge the living and the dead, including you, whether or not you're in some kind of cryonic stasis.
So, the real question is, is it wrong to use medicine and technology to extend your life? No, fundamentally, I don't think so. I mean, is it wrong to try to extend your life by using scientific discoveries in nutrition and exercise to guide your food and exercise choices? Is it wrong to use a kidney dialysis machine if your kidneys fail? I think if you're going to categorically say that using cryonics to sustain your life is evil, some kind of abomination, it raises questions about all other kinds of life-sustaining medical care.
And, from a Christian theological perspective, I don't think it really changes anything. Jesus will return one day to judge the living and the dead, including you, whether or not you're in some kind of cryonic stasis.