Abstract

It might seem counterintuitive to think transhumanists, who are typically characterized by extreme techno-optimism and hope for radical life-extension, would be interested in assisted dying. Because the technological enhancements they long for will probably not be available during their natural lifetimes, many transhumanists at least entertain the idea of having themselves cryonically preserved to buy some additional time for real-world technology to catch up to their dreams. However, since an ideal preservation would take place before serious cellular deterioration sets in, controlling the time and manner of death would be very attractive for transhumanist cryonicists. This chapter identifies some circumstances under which they might be justified in seeking assistance in dying (even though they would describe it as something more akin to hibernating). After providing a fundamental overview of both transhumanism and cryonics, and then making my case for what some scholars have called “cryothanasia” (i.e. assisted dying for the purpose of improved preservation quality), I proceed to consider some scenarios meant to test the limits of this justification. While things are admittedly murkier when considering the possibility of cryothanasia outside the context of imminent medical collapse, I can see no insurmountable criticisms of cryothanasia as a last resort in cases of (currently) terminal and irreparable neurodegeneration or other forms of progressive brain damage.