Oleg Zabluda's blog
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
 
In his book "Connectome: How the Brain's Wiring Makes Us Who We Are"
In his book "Connectome: How the Brain's Wiring Makes Us Who We Are"
 Sebastian Seung  on p.253 tell that Ken Hayworth, a cognitive neuroscientist and inventor of the dead brain scanning machine ATUM,  wants to preserve his brain for future reanimation, while it is still perfectly healthy.

One problem with his salvation idea is that his helpers can be changed with assisted suicide.

This moral dilemma is, for a change, easy to solve. Plastinate their brains as well, and let the future people sort it out whether it was an assisted suicide or an assisted salvation. 

Marianna Dizik proposes an alternative solution:

1. He closes the door, and activates a device which, exactly at noon, throws a coin, and if it's tails, shoots him though the heart, and simultaneously opens the door.
2. His accomplices can then enter and plastinate his brain.
3. Before assembling at his door at noon, they notify the police, telling them exactly the truth they know.
4. Police then, presumably, arrives, breaks down the door, preventing the process from proceeding.
5. Repeat the next day. Police, eventually, will get sick of it and stop coming. Coin toss will shorten this time. Nobody can be accused of false calling 911 or lying to police, failing to save anybody's life, etc. 

Yuri Drozd pointed 2 potential problems with this plan:
1. Suicide attempt may be grounds for involuntary institutionalizing.
2. It may be illegal to take the brain without coroner.  

http://books.google.com/books?id=uNDW_dQ_dlAC&pg=PA253
https://www.google.com/search?q=Ken+Hayworth
http://books.google.com/books?id=uNDW_dQ_dlAC&pg=PA253

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