Digital Souls: A Philosophy of Online Death

Digital Souls argues that the digital dead are objects that should be treated with loving regard and that we have a moral duty towards them. It explores questions about the nature of death, identity, grief, the moral status of digital remains, and the threat posed by AI-driven avatars of dead people.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 11 February 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Social media platforms are teeming with the presence of deceased individuals, with an estimated 30 million Facebook profiles belonging to deceased users in 2012. This raises significant questions regarding the treatment of these digital souls and their moral status. Philosophers have largely remained silent on this topic, despite their preoccupation with death as a unique aspect of human existence. Drawing upon ongoing philosophical debates, Digital Souls argues that the digital dead should be treated with loving regard and that we have a moral duty towards them. Modern technology has enabled the digital dead to persist in various ways, but it has also made them vulnerable to new forms of exploitation and abuse. This thought-provoking book delves into a range of questions related to death, identity, grief, the moral status of digital remains, and the potential threat posed by AI-driven avatars of deceased individuals. In the digital age, it appears that we must all re-learn how to coexist with the deceased.

Weight: 282g
Dimension: 216 x 138 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350139152