In the 15th century there was Wound Man, bleeding from his injuries. Today we have Wound Person leaking data from his/her wearables and implantables. Jeremy Pitt applies Pascal’s Wager to the 21st century . Image courtesy of the Wellcome Collection https://wellcomecollection .org/works/yaw4kj5k.

December 2018

Wound Person Takes Pascal's Wager

Wound Man affords us a vivid reminder of our physical finitude; we are mortal creatures who are susceptible to wounds, injuries, and contagions. And yet, #WoundPerson challenges us to better attune ourselves to our non-physical vulnerabilities and weaknesses. We are more than corporeal; we are not merely a body with a soul, but moreover a soul with a body [2]. We can envision the extensive, and potentially grave, risks of “data bleedout” when sharing data accumulated through wearables and bearables. #WoundPerson helps us to acquire more broadmindedness to indiscernible risks we might otherwise overlook, or disregard.
-Christine Perakslis

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