X-Message-Number: 18298
From: 
Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 11:27:51 EST
Subject: Lemler, Axelrod, Etc.

Dr. Jerry Lemler (Message #18293) writes in part:

>While we have no doubt differed on some pertinent issues, I have the 
>utmost respect for what Mr. Ettinger has given to all of us.  I look upon 
>myself as merely a messenger in the great cause that he so succinctly 
>outlined for us in Prospect.  While the new book, quite obviously, was 
>written by and in support of an Alcor perspective, there has never been a 
>more opportune time for the two leading cryonics organizations to lay the 
>groundwork for an exchange (dare I say alliance?), allowing each, either in 
>parallel or in unison, to promote and foster the science and the 
>discipline, perhaps to even achieve a synergistic beneficial outcome for 
>its respective memberships.
>      In the meantime, it is my view that positive happenstances which 
>affect one of our two organizations will eventually, even if indirectly, 
>benefit the other. 

Naturally I agree (and academic studies such as Axelrod's have tended to 
show) that cooperation usually works better than hostility, and there are 
ample reasons for the tiny cryonics "community" to try to minimize friction 
and maximize mutual assistance. And there is no question at all that the 
existence of other organizations has helped each at various times and in 
various ways, and the success of any tends to help the others.

Except for newcomers, most of us are well aware of the difficulties and the 
historical reasons for previous failures of a seemingly desirable degree of 
cooperation. I won't review those reasons, or try to assign degrees of blame, 
which would mostly be counterproductive, but will try to focus on specific, 
positive steps that might be taken. This will be done, at least at first, 
primarily through private channels.

Let me just emphasize one thing yet again. The potential market for cryonics 
is enormous--orders of magnitude greater than the total current membership of 
all cryonics organizations together. This suggests that the growth of 
cryonics as a whole is more important to EVERY organization than is the 
relative growth or competitive success of individual organizations. This in 
turn suggests that we should always, at least in public, try to emphasize the 
positive--not sweep problems or differences under the rug, just deal with 
them in a way that is not needlessly offensive or disruptive. 

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
www.cryonics.org

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