Plastinated Bodies

Article HERE.

And herein lies the basic difference of opinions.

Carol Taylor, a health care ethicist who directs the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University, said the exhibit is "purely for commercial amusement."

"My major objection stems from the belief that there's an innate dignity to humans that extends to our bodies," she said. "Anything that denigrates our bodies by commercializing them I'm opposed to."

Baxter and Owens, whose families support their decision to donate, disagree.

"The body is just a vessel," Owens said. "This is just what I have in this life."

The latter opinion is a simple form of gnosticism. One often subscribed to - somewhat ignorantly - by many who would consider themselves Christian.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Someplace I read about this exhibit that won't (if you pardon) die. It said that of all the various poses the bodies have been subjected to, there was *one* they haven't decided on doing just yet. It would involve a male and a female body. When questioning potential body donors, the question was asked whether they would mind if their body was posed in such a manner? More women than men objected. It's interesting, for I have to guess more men than women care less whether their body is so used when alive as well. Perfect stranger is OK, whether quick or dead. The women seem to have a saner head. And it *is* gnostic to say you're a ghost in a corpe (as Fr. Florovski is supposed to have characterised it) and to say what happens to your body is trivial. It's YOU.
--- Bob
10:31 AM
Anonymous said…
I thought about seeing this exhibit in Seattle when I was there. I wanted to know if it was really a scientific exhibit, or if it was "art." I'm not interested in seeing human bodies as art or entertainment. It's coming to Raleigh, so I thought about it again. Then I was in DC yesterday, and they have apparently bought all the subway advertizing in downtown DC. Once I saw real, dead, skinned human bodies posed to conduct music or play soccer, I was convinced it wasn't anything I wanted to see.
2:41 PM
Anonymous said…
This show is coming to OMSI (Portland) June 7th and our entire 6th grade class field trip to OMSI has been cancelled. The last minute replacement? Going to the zoo-like they did in the 1st grade. This is particularly disappointing because this is their one big field trip of the year. BUT I'm not disappointed in the decision that this show is not appropriate for 12 yr olds!

I'm curious if OMSI will see a large decline of year-end field trips?

-Jules
7:32 AM
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