X-Message-Number: 10335
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 03:36:10 -0700
From: Paul Wakfer <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #10333 More "Near certainty" Pap
References: <>

> Message #10333
> Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 01:27:15 -0700
> From: Jeff Davis <>
> Subject: Near certainty of success of cryonics

After reminding us of how long the future is, Jeff Davis makes two
additional statements both of which are faulty.

1. "the supreme achievement of ultra-low-temperature stasis" will allow
us as long as we need (up to 500 million years) to figure out how to
restore anyone who is suspended.

Even if we could keep a body frozen continuously, radiation, diffusion,
and biochemical reactions (which continue slowly even at liquid nitrogen
temperature) would annihilate the brain information beyond recovery long
before anywhere near that much time. 

2. "Add to this the fact that no physical law, according to our current
understanding, prohibits post-suspension restoration."

Nonsense! The second law of thermodynamics is the "physical law" that
will prohibit restoration if too much disorder has occurred. Can you
restore a book that is burned and stirred? a tape that is magnetically
wiped? a hard drive which is low level formatted?

Much of the damage done is not at all like simply stirring the pieces of
a jigsaw puzzle with each piece retaining the exact shape, color, size,
etc as when it was cut. No! The general reduction of the tissue into
simpler molecules which takes place, is more like trying to put the
puzzle together after some acid has disintegrated the cellulose
structure of the pieces and their color pigmentation.

If we are to every succeed, we must be serious and realistic about what
we are trying to do. Sure we must not lose our sense of humor, and we
must do more to communicate our great enjoyment of life and our lust for
more of it. But completely distorting the real problems of accomplishing
our goal is not going to help at all.

>                       SUCCESS IS A NEAR CERTAINTY
>                    (Smile, you are going to live forever.)

And I need neither this kind of religious slogan, nor any cynicism, or
black humor to keep me smiling as I do my utmost to make that goal come
to pass.

> P.S.  Cryonics can be fun if you know how to have fun.

Come work in cryonics full time for 5 years and then see if you can
still say that!

>            "Everything's hard till you know how to do it."

This is one of those cute truisms which, unfortunately, is not a useful
insight.

-- Paul --

 Voice/Fax: 909-481-9620 Page: 800-805-2870
The Institute for Neural Cryobiology - http://neurocryo.org
Perfected cryopreservation of Central Nervous System tissue
for neuroscience research and medical repair of brain diseases

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