X-Message-Number: 11459 Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 21:39:55 -0800 From: Olaf Henny <> Subject: Re: CryoNet #11450 - #11451 While browsing through German language web-sites on the subject of cryonics, I ran into the following quotation, which I re-translated into English below the quote of the German text (it would be interesting to see how much the text differed from the original, after these two translations) :) It would be even more interesting to know, if Arthur C. Clarke has made arrangements for suspension. I believe, that there was some speculation on that subject on Cryonet. "Soweit es den wissenschaftlichen Standpunkt betrifft, sind die Behauptungen a) Kryonik hat keine Chance zu funktionieren und b) Kryonik fördert nicht den Fortschritt des medizinischen oder wissenschaftlichen Wissens beide offensichtlich falsch, was völlig bewiesen ist durch die Aussagen von Experten." "Obwohl niemand die Wahrscheinlichkeit, daß Kryonik funktioniert, berechnen kann schätze ich sie auf mindestens 90 % und gewiß kann niemand behaupten, sie wäre Null! Die Behauptung, Kryonik fördere nicht den Fortschritt der Wissenschaft, ist vollkommen absurd, denn unabhängig davon, ob es funktioniert oder nicht, wird die Forschung auf diesem Gebiet unverkennbar von großem medizinischen Nutzen sein." "Ich würde so weit gehen zu sagen, daß jemand, der an den Positioen a) und b) festhält, nicht nur inkompetent ist, sondern auch schuldig, der Gesellschaft ernsten Schaden zuzufügen - ähnlich wie die Doktoren, die im letzten Jahrhundert Narkose und sogar keimfreie Behandlung bekämpften, weil sie angeblich 'gegen die Natur' waren!" Arthur C. Clarke, Science fiction- und Wissenschaftsautor, Sri Lanka Translation: ------------------------------------------------ "From a science point of view the claims that a) Cryonics has no chance of being functional and b) cryonics does not promote the advance of medical and scientific knowledge, are obviously wrong, as has been completely proven through expert testimony. "Although nobody can calculate the probability of success, I estimate it to be at least 90%. Certainly nobody can claim, that it is zero. The assertion, that Cryonics did not promote the advance in science is completely absurd, for apart from the question if it succeeds, the research in this field will without doubt be of great medical benefit." "I would go so far as to say, that anybody who maintains positions a) and b), is not only incompetent, but also guilty of inflicting serious harm on society. - similar to the doctors, who in the last century fought against anesthetics and germ free treatment, because they were supposedly against nature" Arthur C. Clarke, author of science fiction and non-fiction science books, Sri Lanka ------------------------------------------------------ I apologize for including the German language quotation, but I thought it prudent, just in case the German text deviated too much from the original. Best, Olaf Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=11459