X-Message-Number: 10685
Date: Sun, 01 Nov 1998 22:44:34 -0500
From: Marty Kardon <>
Subject: Structures of belief

The periodic talk of religon raises an interesting issue in my mind.
IMHO it seems that much of the cryonic "paradigm" seems like a replay of
long time religous themes:
    1. We will awake/arrive in a transformed, enlightened world
surrounded by family, friends and enlightened helpful strangers.
    2.  This occurs through the mediation of a describable but
inscrutable and presently unfathomable intermediary i.e. advanced
nanotech
    3.  In order to opt into the future without limit we need to
dedicate a significant part of our material wealth and our personal
committment to the cause.

    I certainly mean no offense to the many dedicated and intelligent
people who have dedicated themselves to the enterprise.  While the
concepts feel familiar to me (via years of imagination, dreaming and
speculative fiction) I am struck by the comfortable way the
cryonicist/immortalist plans fit into older patterns of religous
thinking. This of course has no bearing on whether the suspendees will
or won't awaken as hoped, however, it makes me think that nothing ever
turns out the way we think it will and the many permutations of the
future leave much still behind veils.

    In working through the thought processes of to opt in or not I think
it is important to examine the entire cryonic assumption without
prejudice or at least aware of prejudgment whether it be yea or nay.

    Much to ponder yet who can say how much time is left?

    Marty Kardon

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