The Suspension of Death. The Cryonic Utopia in the Context of the U.S. Funeral Culture
Abstract
This article outlines the history of cryonics, starting with fictional novels and movies and the actual formation of the cryonic movement in the 1960s. Cryonics has been considered – by its advocates – to overcome religion by offering a technological way of immortality. Since cryonics never gained serious attention outside the United States it is promising to ask for the specific frame of American funeral culture as a condition for the emergence (and the limitations) of cryonics.
References
● Alcor, 1983 – ‘Ev Cooper. 1926-1983’, Cryonics, March 1983:7-9.
● Berger, Peter L. & R. Lieban, 1963 – ‘Kulturelle Wertstruktur und Bestattungspraktiken in den Vereinigten Staaten’, Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 12:224-
236.
● Boussenard, Louis, 1890 – Dix mille ans dans un bloc de glace. Paris: Marpon & Flammarion. 1st ed. 1889.
● Bryant, Clifton D. & William E. Snizek, 1973 – ‘The Cryonics Movement and Frozen Immortality’, Society (11/1), Nov/Dec 1973:56-61.
● Burroughs, Edgar R., 1937 – ‘The Resurrection of Jimber Jaw’, Argosy Feb. 20. Cryonics Institute, 2003 – ‘Directors of the Cryonics Institute’, retrieved on 11/25/2005.
Retrieved from: http://www.cryonics.org/bio.html#Robert_Ettinger.
● Coffin, Margaret M., 1976 – Death in Early America. Nashville: Nelson.
● Darwin, Mike, 1981 – ‘An Interview with Saul Kent’, Cryonics, Nov 1981:13-20.
● Ibid., 1991 – ‘Evaluation of the Condition of Dr. Bedford after 24 years of Cryonic Suspension’, Cryonics, Aug 1991:22-25.
● Doyle, Richard, 2003 – Wetwares. Experiments in Postvital Living. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
● Ettinger, Robert C., 1948 – ‘The Penultimate Trump’, Startling Stories, March 1948.
● Ibid., 1964 – The Prospect of Immortality. New York: Doubleday.
● Ibid., 1967 – ‘Cryonics and the Purpose of Life’, The Christian Century 84/40:1250-1253.
● Ibid., 1989 – Man into Superman. New York: Martin’s Press. 1st ed. 1972.
● Ibid., 2002 – ‘Cryonics Institute. A brief History and Overview’, Retrieved on 11/25/2005.
Retrieved from: http://www.cryonics.org/
● Huntington, Richard & Peter Metcalf, 1991 – Celebrations of Death. The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
● Iserson, Kenneth V., 1994 – Death to Dust. What Happens to Dead Bodies? Tuscon: Galen Press.
● Jones, Neil R., 1931 – ‘The Jameson Satellite’, Amazing, July 1931.
● Jones, Tanya, 2004 – ‘CryoPreservation Case Report: The Cryopreservation of Patient A- 1099’, Cryonics 4/2004:4-11.
● Kent, Saul, 1983 – ‘The first Cryonicist’, Cryonics, March 1983:9-12.
● Kephart, William M., 1950 – ‘Status after Death’, American Sociological Review 15/5:635-643. Krüger, Oliver, 2004 – Virtualität und Unsterblichkeit. Die Visionen des Posthumanismus. Freiburg: Rombach.
● Laderman, Gary, 1996 – The Sacred Remains. American Attitudes towards Death, 1799-1883. New Haven: Yale University Press.
● Larsen, Dave, 1967 – ‘Cancer Victim’s Body Frozen for Future Revival Experiment’, In: Los Angeles Times, Jan 19.
● Lindsey, Robert, 1980 – ‘California Officials Criticize Freezing and Storing of Bodies’, New York Times, May 12.
● Mann, Laurie D., 1981 – ‘How the Cryonics Movement Thawed Out’, Cryonics, Nov 1981:9-12.
● Metcalf, Peter & Richard Huntington, 1991 – Celebrations of Death. The Anthropology of Mortuary Rituals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
● Nelson, Harry, 1967 – ‘Rivival of Frozen Man Held Absurd’, Los Angeles Times, Jan 20.
● Nelson, Robert, 1968 – We Froze the First Man. The Startling True Story of the First Great Step toward Human Immortality. New York: Dell.
● Nowlan, Philip F., 1928 – ‘Armageddon 2419 AD’, Amazing, Aug. 1928.
● Oliver, Myrna, 1981a – ‘Distress told at Cryonics Trial’, Los Angeles Times, May 12.
● Ibid., 1981b – ‘Families Awarded Nearly $ 1 Million in Cryonics Suit’, Los Angeles Times, Jun 6.
● Perry, R. Michael, 1991 – ‘For the Record – First Suspension no ‘Slue Sky’ Event’, Cryonics, July 1991:11-12.
● Ibid., 2000 – Forever for All. Moral Philosophy, Cryonics, and the Scientific Prospects for Immortality. USA: Universal Publishers.
● Platt, Charles, 1996 – ‘The Man who Named Cryonics’, Cryocare Report 8, July 1996.
Retrieved from: http://www.cryocare.org/index.cgi?subdir=&url=ccrpt8.html Retrieved on
11/28/2005. Quaife, Art, 1981 – ‘Appeal to Members of California Cryonics Organisations’, Cryonics,
Nov 1981:29-31.
● Quigley, Christine, 1996 – The Corpse. A History. Jefferson: Mc Farland & Company.
● Ibid., 1998 – Modern Mummies. The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century. Jefferson: McFarland & Company.
● Regis, Ed, 1990 – Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition. Science Slightly over the Edge. Reading (Mas): Addison-Wesley.
● Rievman, Ellen B., 1976 – The Cryonics Society. A Study of Variant Behavior among the Immortalists. Diss., Florida Atlantic University.
● Russell, William C., 1974 – The Frozen Pirate. Volumes 1 and 2 (Reprint of 1887 Edition). New York: Arno Press. 1st ed. 1887.
● Sandomir, Richard, 2002 – ‘Williams Children Agree to Keep Their Father Frozen’, New York Times, Dec 21.
● Searl, Edward, 1993 – In Memoriam. A guide to Modern Funeral and Memorial Services. Boston: Skinner House Books.
● Sheskin, Arlene, 1979 – Cryonics. A Sociology of Death and Bereavement. New York: Irvington Publishers.
● Shultz, Suzanne M., 1992 – Body Snatching. The Robbing of Graves for the Education of Physicians in Early Nineteenth Century America. Jefferson: McFarland & Company.
● Stableord, Brian, 1993 – ‘Cryonics’, in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, ed. by John Clute & Peter Nicholls. London: Orbit, 283-284.
● Snyder, Don, 1967 – ‘Couple who Nursed Cancer Victim Doubt Return-to-Life’, Los Angeles Times, Jan 19.
● Taylor, Richrd P., 2000 – Death and the Afterlife. A Cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
● Times, 1997 – ‘Still Frozen after all these Years’, New York Times, Jan 12.
● Berger, Peter L. & R. Lieban, 1963 – ‘Kulturelle Wertstruktur und Bestattungspraktiken in den Vereinigten Staaten’, Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 12:224-
236.
● Boussenard, Louis, 1890 – Dix mille ans dans un bloc de glace. Paris: Marpon & Flammarion. 1st ed. 1889.
● Bryant, Clifton D. & William E. Snizek, 1973 – ‘The Cryonics Movement and Frozen Immortality’, Society (11/1), Nov/Dec 1973:56-61.
● Burroughs, Edgar R., 1937 – ‘The Resurrection of Jimber Jaw’, Argosy Feb. 20. Cryonics Institute, 2003 – ‘Directors of the Cryonics Institute’, retrieved on 11/25/2005.
Retrieved from: http://www.cryonics.org/bio.html#Robert_Ettinger.
● Coffin, Margaret M., 1976 – Death in Early America. Nashville: Nelson.
● Darwin, Mike, 1981 – ‘An Interview with Saul Kent’, Cryonics, Nov 1981:13-20.
● Ibid., 1991 – ‘Evaluation of the Condition of Dr. Bedford after 24 years of Cryonic Suspension’, Cryonics, Aug 1991:22-25.
● Doyle, Richard, 2003 – Wetwares. Experiments in Postvital Living. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
● Ettinger, Robert C., 1948 – ‘The Penultimate Trump’, Startling Stories, March 1948.
● Ibid., 1964 – The Prospect of Immortality. New York: Doubleday.
● Ibid., 1967 – ‘Cryonics and the Purpose of Life’, The Christian Century 84/40:1250-1253.
● Ibid., 1989 – Man into Superman. New York: Martin’s Press. 1st ed. 1972.
● Ibid., 2002 – ‘Cryonics Institute. A brief History and Overview’, Retrieved on 11/25/2005.
Retrieved from: http://www.cryonics.org/
● Huntington, Richard & Peter Metcalf, 1991 – Celebrations of Death. The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
● Iserson, Kenneth V., 1994 – Death to Dust. What Happens to Dead Bodies? Tuscon: Galen Press.
● Jones, Neil R., 1931 – ‘The Jameson Satellite’, Amazing, July 1931.
● Jones, Tanya, 2004 – ‘CryoPreservation Case Report: The Cryopreservation of Patient A- 1099’, Cryonics 4/2004:4-11.
● Kent, Saul, 1983 – ‘The first Cryonicist’, Cryonics, March 1983:9-12.
● Kephart, William M., 1950 – ‘Status after Death’, American Sociological Review 15/5:635-643. Krüger, Oliver, 2004 – Virtualität und Unsterblichkeit. Die Visionen des Posthumanismus. Freiburg: Rombach.
● Laderman, Gary, 1996 – The Sacred Remains. American Attitudes towards Death, 1799-1883. New Haven: Yale University Press.
● Larsen, Dave, 1967 – ‘Cancer Victim’s Body Frozen for Future Revival Experiment’, In: Los Angeles Times, Jan 19.
● Lindsey, Robert, 1980 – ‘California Officials Criticize Freezing and Storing of Bodies’, New York Times, May 12.
● Mann, Laurie D., 1981 – ‘How the Cryonics Movement Thawed Out’, Cryonics, Nov 1981:9-12.
● Metcalf, Peter & Richard Huntington, 1991 – Celebrations of Death. The Anthropology of Mortuary Rituals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
● Nelson, Harry, 1967 – ‘Rivival of Frozen Man Held Absurd’, Los Angeles Times, Jan 20.
● Nelson, Robert, 1968 – We Froze the First Man. The Startling True Story of the First Great Step toward Human Immortality. New York: Dell.
● Nowlan, Philip F., 1928 – ‘Armageddon 2419 AD’, Amazing, Aug. 1928.
● Oliver, Myrna, 1981a – ‘Distress told at Cryonics Trial’, Los Angeles Times, May 12.
● Ibid., 1981b – ‘Families Awarded Nearly $ 1 Million in Cryonics Suit’, Los Angeles Times, Jun 6.
● Perry, R. Michael, 1991 – ‘For the Record – First Suspension no ‘Slue Sky’ Event’, Cryonics, July 1991:11-12.
● Ibid., 2000 – Forever for All. Moral Philosophy, Cryonics, and the Scientific Prospects for Immortality. USA: Universal Publishers.
● Platt, Charles, 1996 – ‘The Man who Named Cryonics’, Cryocare Report 8, July 1996.
Retrieved from: http://www.cryocare.org/index.cgi?subdir=&url=ccrpt8.html Retrieved on
11/28/2005. Quaife, Art, 1981 – ‘Appeal to Members of California Cryonics Organisations’, Cryonics,
Nov 1981:29-31.
● Quigley, Christine, 1996 – The Corpse. A History. Jefferson: Mc Farland & Company.
● Ibid., 1998 – Modern Mummies. The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century. Jefferson: McFarland & Company.
● Regis, Ed, 1990 – Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition. Science Slightly over the Edge. Reading (Mas): Addison-Wesley.
● Rievman, Ellen B., 1976 – The Cryonics Society. A Study of Variant Behavior among the Immortalists. Diss., Florida Atlantic University.
● Russell, William C., 1974 – The Frozen Pirate. Volumes 1 and 2 (Reprint of 1887 Edition). New York: Arno Press. 1st ed. 1887.
● Sandomir, Richard, 2002 – ‘Williams Children Agree to Keep Their Father Frozen’, New York Times, Dec 21.
● Searl, Edward, 1993 – In Memoriam. A guide to Modern Funeral and Memorial Services. Boston: Skinner House Books.
● Sheskin, Arlene, 1979 – Cryonics. A Sociology of Death and Bereavement. New York: Irvington Publishers.
● Shultz, Suzanne M., 1992 – Body Snatching. The Robbing of Graves for the Education of Physicians in Early Nineteenth Century America. Jefferson: McFarland & Company.
● Stableord, Brian, 1993 – ‘Cryonics’, in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, ed. by John Clute & Peter Nicholls. London: Orbit, 283-284.
● Snyder, Don, 1967 – ‘Couple who Nursed Cancer Victim Doubt Return-to-Life’, Los Angeles Times, Jan 19.
● Taylor, Richrd P., 2000 – Death and the Afterlife. A Cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
● Times, 1997 – ‘Still Frozen after all these Years’, New York Times, Jan 12.
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2015-04-28
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