X-Message-Number: 13926 From: "Dani Kollin" <> Subject: FW: Drugs and Immortality Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 14:43:27 +0200 Re: the recently posted email below, my brother had a quite a fascinting response to it. I have re-posted the initial email and then my brother's response. Dani Kollin sage #13907 Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2000 19:55:3 +0000 From: Leon Dean <> Subject: drugs In New Scientist recently there was an article about developing vaccines for the addictive nature of drugs such as heroin and maybe even nicotine. What this article got me thinking about however is the nature of drug use and how this could change with immortality. If we ever reach the holy grail of cryonics and humanity becomes immortal what would be the drawbacks of taking drugs? If smoking, alcohol and the hard drugs caused no side effects then why not do them? Current users would surely increase consumption. Could immortality create a world of drug-fuelled morons? Dani, You have to take the concept to its full extreme. The technology that can awaken and repair the damage done to millions of neurons and grant immortality will not need to take something and primitive as chemical drugs. They will be viewed with the same sense of, oh how cute they were in those days, that we get when we see a wooden top and wonder how children actually played with the thing for hours. The truth is that they will be able to send impulses to the brain replicating every sensation they desire. From heroin to sex to eating choclate it will be there with the push of a button and gone just as quickly with no physical side effects because physically it was never there. However the full effects will indeed be social. When a society can take any, "sensation", it desires virtually,(double meaning fully intended), and at will the effects will be most interesting. I can only say that as of now I would prefer to be a part of that process then dead. We will have to wait and see. Later, Eytan Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=13926