X-Message-Number: 10568
From: 
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 14:34:36 EDT
Subject: selfishness, guarantees

Marty Kardon (#10557)raises the "selfishness" issue related to cryonics. In
its most extreme form, "I am unworthy and insignificant and should not steal
space or resources from future generations or intrude my useless and
disposable self." 

There are many answers.

1. For those who feel that way, it's a free country. Rot in good health.

2. Beware the man who will sacrifice himself for a cause. He will sacrifice
you first.

3. Of course I'm selfish. I'm all I've got. And it's my money.

4. We are all here to help others. But what are the others here for?

5. Lives in being are at least as deserving of protection as lives that are
merely potential in the future.

6. Revived and retrofitted cryonauts will be as useful as anyone else.

7. The resources of the future are likely to be so vast, and so rapidly
increasing, that the  "burden" of cryonauts will be negligible.

8. The cryonics mindset is highly salutary for society. Those who expect to be
around a long time must emphasize responsibility and the Golden Rule. It is
the short-timers who are likely to be reckless and desperate.

9. Loyalty should go to individuals, not to abstractions. Ideologies and
institutions can and do change or disappear; it is particular people that will
(we hope) prove permanent. Of course, this is the opposite of the traditional
view, and not an easy sell.

10. If someone is really caught in the altruism mindset, he has a tough job
explaining himself (and the world) to himself. Why are you still relatively
comfortable while others are miserable? Why aren't you Mother Theresa? And if
everyone were willing to be Mother Theresa, who would produce and distribute
the food and medications etc?

11. "From each according to his ability; to each according to his need." It
never made sense, and it never worked.

12. All this requires deeper and more rigorous investigation, which is one of
my major projects. But common sense should save some of us.

 -------
Thanks to Jeff Davis (#10561) for his good wishes, and appreciation for his
video promos. As with Kellie Smith's piece, barriers of cost seem presently
insurmountable for production and airing--unless we use stripped-down versions
on our web sites, maybe with animated drawings instead of actors etc.

As for promises or guarantees in cryonics, I agree with much of what he says.
My own view is absolutely optimistic, for reasons that are clearly spelled out
on our web site; I do NOT concede that the odds are adverse or entirely
unknown. But of course we must always make sure the prospective member or
patient knows that prevailing opinion is pessimistic.

And there are some things we can indeed guarantee:

1. We can guarantee that, if you are frozen, degree of destruction or
deterioration will be less than if you are buried or cremated.

2. We can guarantee that, if someone is revived from your frozen remains, that
person will be much more like you than a clone would be--because a great deal
of additional information about you will be available, beyond your genome.

3. We can guarantee our best efforts on your behalf.

4. We can guarantee you a continuing opportunity to improve the odds, for
yourself and for others.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org

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