Willow Brugh
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2007
- Messages
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Hello. My name is Willow Brugh, and I am an undergraduate honors sociology student at IU.
What interests me is alterations upon the human body for both purposes of therapy as well as for advancement. I believe your community has a lot to say on this subject. Please let me know what you think of the following scenario. Some follow-up questions are offered, but you can ignore these or expand upon them.
Thank you for your time. I know these things take effort, but again, I think you will have important things to say about the subject. You can also e-mail me at thesis.willow@gmail.com if you'd prefer more anonymity.
Ann has a heart attack at age 34. The expected lifespan for her life-style and country of residence is 92. Unless she gets a different heart she will die. Several options exist for a new heart. She can receive a donated transfer heart, which may be rejected and will likely not last her to the expected age of death. She may be a bio-mechanical heart that will take her to the expected lifespan, but no further. She may also get a fully mechanized heart which is nearly guaranteed to take her to 150 and quite possibly further. This heart system also monitors other bodily functions, and forces a sustainable coma if any vital signs drop until health is restored.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
• Which, if any, of these options should Ann choose and why? Is there somewhere on this scale you would like to see an option but don’t?
• What are the positives and negatives of this choice?
• Why didn’t you choose any of the other options?
• What about a person’s life expectancy makes them human? Why?
• Is someone who has willfully advanced themselves beyond what is “normal” still human?
What interests me is alterations upon the human body for both purposes of therapy as well as for advancement. I believe your community has a lot to say on this subject. Please let me know what you think of the following scenario. Some follow-up questions are offered, but you can ignore these or expand upon them.
Thank you for your time. I know these things take effort, but again, I think you will have important things to say about the subject. You can also e-mail me at thesis.willow@gmail.com if you'd prefer more anonymity.
Ann has a heart attack at age 34. The expected lifespan for her life-style and country of residence is 92. Unless she gets a different heart she will die. Several options exist for a new heart. She can receive a donated transfer heart, which may be rejected and will likely not last her to the expected age of death. She may be a bio-mechanical heart that will take her to the expected lifespan, but no further. She may also get a fully mechanized heart which is nearly guaranteed to take her to 150 and quite possibly further. This heart system also monitors other bodily functions, and forces a sustainable coma if any vital signs drop until health is restored.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
• Which, if any, of these options should Ann choose and why? Is there somewhere on this scale you would like to see an option but don’t?
• What are the positives and negatives of this choice?
• Why didn’t you choose any of the other options?
• What about a person’s life expectancy makes them human? Why?
• Is someone who has willfully advanced themselves beyond what is “normal” still human?