X-Message-Number: 12065
From: "George Smith" <>
References: <>
Subject: Some comments on Thomas Donaldson's message #12049
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 14:27:24 -0700

In Message #12049, Thomas Donaldson wrote in part:

>... I suspect that even many cryonicists haven't yet understood cryonics
> itself: their behavior toward cryonics still resembles the behavior of
> others to their religion. Sure, we attend the services, and give a small
> amount of money to the cause. Rather than God saving us, it will be Our
> Friends in the Future who will do so. And Our Friends in the Future will
> know all that is needed to know for revival, and have all the tools needed
> for revival, and will bring us back even if we've been suspended under
> very bad conditions.
>
> It's still up to US to do the work and provide the money needed. That
> point needs to be understood by every cryonicist.
>

I disagree.

WE can't do the work because WE don't have the technology yet.

WE don't even know what amount of time and effort will be required
to do the job.  It may very well be that ALL the current research efforts
will prove to have been a waste of time because we are NOT close to the
final
breakthroughs required to succeed.  (We also don't know if a vital
breakthrough will occur tomorrow morning).

There is something very flawed here.  There is the implication that IF
we honestly admit that we ARE relying upon future technology, we are
somhow superstitious.

Nonsense.

If the breakthroughs which will happen (prove me wrong!) are not here yet,
it seems silly to demand that we not expect them.

The alternative seems despair.

Surely this is not what you are advocating.

Frankly I am fed up with the pessimism which condemns our acknowledging
our current state of ignorance.

WE DON'T KNOW, WHAT WE DON'T KNOW YET.

Can we all agree on that?

We had better damn well have some "Friends from the Future" who WILL come
up with enough of the answers or we will all just be corpsicles.

Remember, the future is only one second away from now.

Now, can we discuss how to get there from here and drop the slurs on
religion,
and faith and all the rest?

Frankly if we wish to win over more members
(which implies more money and more research and more likelihood of
getting there sooner rather than later), we really ought to decide to drop
our
religious prejudices from public discussions.  That includes condemning the
vast, vast majority of people who ARE religious.

Cryonics has nothing to do with religion OR non-religion.

Let's stop the nonsense.  We are only turning off potential supporters.

If some view this venture as an act of faith, why should we care?

Let's welcome help from any quarter and lower the bar to permit those who
don't
have the "pure faith of reason" as their only arbiter of choice into our
camp.

Maybe not everyone is as smart as you are.  Maybe they don't all agree with
your view.

But could we benefit from their support?

I think so.

George Smith
Cryonics Institute member
http://www.cryonics.org

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