X-Message-Number: 17190 From: "Mark Plus" <> Subject: Re: SF great Poul Anderson has died Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2001 10:26:40 -0700 In Message #17182, "john grigg" wrote, > From: "john grigg" <> > Subject: SF great Poul Anderson has died > Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2001 22:26:50 > > Eugene Leitl shared this on the extrolist. It is a letter from SF > >writer Greg Bear about his friend and fellow writer Poul Anderson who has >passed away. > The question which goes begging is..., did Poul Anderson really know > >about cryonics and organizations like Alcor and CI? And if so, why > did >he choose to decline his ticket to the future? > best wishes, > John Too bad. Several of Anderson's later novels deal with Transhumanist and Immortalist themes, so it's clear he "got it" in terms of where progress is likely going. I've felt for a long time now that it's unwise to depend on science fiction (SF) writers as gurus or guides to conduct. They may seem brilliant and insightful in their own way, especially considering that the "Golden Age" of SF is -- 12. But when it comes to dealing with the problems in the adult world, SF writers don't necessarily know any better than anyone else. It wouldn't surprise me if, for example, Ben Bova dies without having arrangements for cryotransport, even though he wrote about cryonics in his nonfiction _Immortality_ book a few years ago. Besides, I find reading SF these days a frustrating experience. If you've read a couple dozen SF novels, you've pretty much read them all. I'd prefer to work on making my real life an SF-like adventure some day. Sincerely, Mark Plus _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17190