X-Message-Number: 19158 From: "Mark Plus" <> Subject: "Death" as social construction Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 08:44:02 -0700 In Message #19153, David Stodolsky writes: >Another unfortunate development is in the field of science studies, where >social constructionism has become a dominate force. (Some in this field >recently were bragging that they had stopped the funding for the big new >accelerator to be built in the USA.) Social constructionism, in its most >extreme form, argues that there are no ultimate authorities, that is, the >Bible is just as valid as a physiology text book, etc. Perhaps cryonicists could take advantage of this cognitive bug by arguing that we are operating upon a social construction of the definition of death different from mainstream medicine's -- and it's just as good as anyone else's, so leave us alone to do our thing. Though you have to wonder why the intellectuals who promote such a view of science tend to oppose nuclear technology. After all, it's just a matter of social consensus whether nuclear weapons work or not. Would nukes go away if we collectively decided not to believe in them? 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=19158