Philosophical Posthumanism and Contemporary Alternative Burial Practices

Abstract

The first part of this paper briefly introduces the concept of posthumanism, its origins, and its distinctive features. The phenomenon of compost proposed by Donna Haraway is then considered as a key idea that has largely determined the meaning of the practice of terramation. The relationship between posthumanist philosophy and the Anthropocene is also identified. The second part of the paper examines the ecological handling of human remains—terramation or human composting—and the practice of eternal reefs—and how posthumanist ideas about life and death are realized in them. The conclusion presents arguments for and against these ways of dealing with human remains and suggests why there is a growing interest in alternative burial practices.