Suspended Animation

J. Arbuthnot Wilson’s story “Pausodyne” posits that a compound containing ‘fixed air’, or carbon dioxide, might suspend a person’s animation and have them awakened in the future. Modern writers wanting to have their characters journey into the future often turn to cryonics. We look at cases in which people have been trapped under ice and later revived unharmed; such cases hint at the potential of cryonics. Nevertheless, cryonics faces financial, legal, and technical obstacles. Furthermore, the technical feasibility of reviving complex organisms remains unproven, and the ethical implications of reanimating individuals are debated. There are thus two opposing views of the technology. Cryonics enthusiasts view it as a Pascal’s wager — minimal loss if it fails, potential immortality if it succeeds. Critics argue it resembles religion more than science, relying on unproven technology and the promise of defeating death.