Seminars

The landscape of death care in the United States has been undergoing a significant transformation over the past fifty years. The most notable change has been the increasing popularity of cremation, a shift that has had a profound impact on the industry and societal attitudes towards death. As we look to the future, it's clear that further innovation and evolving preferences are shaping the way we approach death care. What will the next fifty years bring? To help answer that question, an academic survey has been conducted by Wake Forest Law School for each of the past two years which delves into consumer preferences in death care. The annual study aims to assess openness and interest in six methods of disposition: casket burial, cremation, green burial, alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction, and donation to science.

Does death harm nonhuman animals as much as it harms humans, and does it harm plants, fungi, and other living beings at all? The answers depend in part on ethical issues such as: Why is death bad? Is it bad because it causes suffering and frustration at present, because it deprives the subject of happiness and satisfaction in the future, or for another reason? They also depend on scientific issues such as: To what extent do animals, plants, fungi, and other living beings have the kinds of desires, preferences, and psychological continuity over time that create vulnerability to the harm of death? Join us for a wide ranging guided conversation about the moral significance of death across species.