Presumably, everyone is no stranger to the word philosophy, or rather, when you hear the word "philosophy", you will generally think of an old man with a long beard and full of wisdom, holding an ancient spear in his hand, and revealing a transcendent temperament between his eyebrows. But today, we are not talking about such a traditional philosopher, but about the modern Chinese philosopher - Li Zehou.
Li Zehou, a name, may not be well known to most people, but his academic achievements are jaw-dropping. Speaking of this philosopher, it always seems that some esoteric concepts come to mind, such as "existence", such as "nothingness", such as "free will", etc., in short, a key that can make your brain rich.
Today, however, what we are going to discuss is not Li Zehou's philosophical views, but a controversial last wish that his brain should be cryopreserved for future research.
I know that when you mention "cryopreservation", you may think of the plots in those sci-fi **, such as one day, a mysterious organization will suddenly appear to save these frozen brains, and then one day in the future, use high-tech means to "resurrect" you. Well, although it sounds a bit like the plot of "Black Mirror", Mr. Li Zehou has seriously left this last wish, and this wish of his has been faithfully carried out after his death.
Let's take a look at the philosopher's original intentions for leaving this last wish. He has said in an interview that the reason why he wants to freeze his brain is to be able to prove whether culture has an effect on the brain. He believes that by preserving the brain, future people may be able to find traces of Chinese culture in it, thus proving his theory of accumulation. This theory was very important to him, even more so than the sum of his life's writings.
Regarding the execution of this last wish, a friend named Ma Qunlin said in an interview that immediately after Mr. Li Zehou's death, his son Li Ai notified the "Alco Life Continuation Association" in the United States, and this last wish has been faithfully implemented. Perhaps, for Li Zehou, the ideas he adhered to were finally respected and realized at the last moment of his life.
Of course, for ordinary people, this practice of freezing the head is still a bit unbelievable. After all, we all have our own understanding and views on the meaning of death and life, and frozen skulls seem to express our reluctance to life and yearning for the future in an extreme way. But in any case, for a philosopher, this may be just another way of thinking, and a kind of verification of his own theory.
Although Mr. Li Zehou was not well known to the public when he was alive, this controversial will he left behind has aroused many people's thoughts and discussions. Perhaps, one day in the future, we will find something interesting in his brain, or perhaps, his behavior will eventually prove to be a great scientific experiment that has made a modest contribution to the progress of mankind.
In any case, for an ordinary philosopher, leaving such a controversial will behind may have been the most courageous decision of his life.