Can people preserve themselves when at or near death? The goal of cryonics is to create circumstances where people who are dying or have just passed away could be potentially resurrected and cured when technology advances to the point that beneficial care could be provided. These cryonics pros and cons must be carefully evaluated to determine if the benefits of this science outweigh any risks.
The Pros of Cryonics
1. It could revolutionize the medical industry.
Cryonics could allow people with a deadly virus to be preserved so that the illness doesn’t progress until a cure or treatment can be found. It could help ship donated organs awaiting a transplant across longer distances. If cancer becomes metastatic, the growth could be slowed or stopped. The theoretical benefits are literally too numerous to list.
2. It could preserve life on Earth.
Natural disasters seem to be happening everywhere these days. Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis all have destructive powers that are sometimes beyond comprehension. Cryonics could preserve life so that after a disaster, the region could be repopulated with native plant and animal life.
3. It may provide an answer to space colonization.
For generations, science fiction authors have theorized that cryonics could be the answer to how humans can travel safely in the stars. The science is starting to catch up with those theories.
The Cons of Cryonics
1. Human cells may continue to age while cryonically preserved.
Although the cryonics process slows down the metabolism of cells, it may not actually slow cell aging. Someone may emerge from being cryonically preserved only to rapidly age.
2. It interrupts the natural cycle of life.
Death is a natural part of life. It is also one of the scariest things people face because there is so much unknown about dying. Cryonics might relieve those fears, but it also places a certain burden of false expectation on people.
3. It may not do anything.
The costs and work to preserve people through cryonics may ultimately be pointless. The theories might not ever translate into facts.
These cryonics pros and cons show that there is still much work to do. The benefits show that further research may prove beneficial in a number of areas, but those benefits may not be what we think they will be.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
