X-Message-Number: 21463
From: 
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 10:24:35 EST
Subject: cheap alternatives

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Greg Jordan advocates offering cheap alternatives to cryostasis, such as 
"morphostasis" (attempts to preserve structure without regard to function), 
which might include fancy embalming, freeze-drying, etc. 

He intimates that cryonics organizations may be uninterested in these partly 
because there isn't any profit in it. This really isn't accurate. All of the 
active cryonics organizations, except Suspended Animation Inc., are 
non-profit. We are interested only in the benefit of our patients and future 
patients--which includes growing our numbers.

However, opinions naturally differ on the best ways to maximize the chances 
of our patients. One of the considerations is our general credibility, which 
depends in part on the evidence we can adduce, which is greater for better 
methods of cryostasis and much weaker for such things as plastination. 
Another consideration is "paternalistic"--if we offer cheaper but less 
hopeful methods, some members will be tempted to reduce their chances by 
buying the cheaper methods, even if they can afford more expensive ones. 
Another consideration is the "complacency" effect, meaning reduced incentive 
for progress if current methods are seen as "good enough." 

Alcor's stance has always leaned toward offering what they have sometimes 
euphemistically called "state of the art" cryopreservation--meaning the best 
they were currently able to offer. Suspended Animation Inc. offers what they 
believe to be the best available anywhere. Cryonics Institute has tried to 
strike a reasonable balance between cost and effectiveness, with the emphasis 
on demonstrated effectiveness, and our current research, if its apparent 
promise is fulfilled, seems likely to provide the best ever in results, with 
perhaps no increase in cost. 

CI also wants to offer its members the widest possible set of options. This 
means, first, that we are willing to provide storage only, if the member 
wants someone else to do the initial preparation. It also means we want to 
explore the cheaper options in a systematic way, and eventually offer those 
also, but that is a lower priority and not yet on the active list.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
www.cryonics.org

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