X-Message-Number: 1406 Date: Mon, 7 Dec 92 17:49:45 -0800 From: (Franz G. Amador) Subject: CRYONICS Re: environmentalists In message #1403 Brian Wowk attacks environmentalists in a manner that seems to me irrationally hostile and offensive. Since polls indicate that the majority of Americans consider themselves environmentalists, you are talking about quite a few people, including myself, a card-carrying member of the Sierra Club and several other such organizations. There is considerable diversity in the movement, but it seems to me that its core motivation is not hatred of life nor a desire to crush businesses, but concern with the short-sightedness apparent in much of human activity. We need to find ways of life that are sustainable for the long term, but much current economic activity prefers short-term profit that sacrifices the future. The furor about the northern spotted owl is not about saving owls at the expense of loggers; it derives from the simple, common-sense observation that cutting down all the old-growth forest is not a wise way to husband that resource. It seems to me, then, that cryonics and environmentalism are basically independent ideas; I find cryonics fascinating, and it does not at all offend my environmentalist sensibilities. I can imagine technologies for extending lifespan being part of a sustainable society; in fact, sustainability is required for cryonics' long-term success. Franz Amador Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1406