X-Message-Number: 23774
From: "mike99" <>
Subject: Re: Message #23769 "Why cryonics?"
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 15:07:09 -0700

 wrote:
>I am using Ron's pc for this question.  We have been talking about
>cryogenics and I was wondering...For people who have lived a long
>healthy life, isn't it selfish  to want  to extend that life further?
>The planet can only support so many people.  What about all the "souls "
>that are going to be born?    Just wondering.  >
>
>Thanks, Linda

Hi Linda,
Here are my personal answers to your questions:

Q: Isn't cryonics selfish?
A: Is it selfish to be alive and to continue to live? Should there be a
maximum age that people are allowed to attain, after which they should be
put to death like stray dogs? If so, how old should that be? Remember,
medical science will continue to progress and eventually unlimited lifespan
will become possible. So if you believe that wanting to live forever is
selfish, then you must state how long, in your opinion, one should be
allowed to live without being selfish.

Q: Won't the earth become overcrowded if people live longer?
A: I substituted the word "earth" for your word "planet" in my phrasing of
your question. I did this because earth is not the only planet in the
universe. The universe is a VERY big place, with many planets available. And
there is the possibility of building space habitats off-planet as well. The
earth does not have to become overcrowded even if everyone lived millions of
times longer than they do now.

Q: What about all the "souls" that are going to be born?
A: I am not clear about the meaning of your question. If you are referring
to future human births, then I do not see why -- given the vast space
available in the universe -- a long-lived human population could not
continue to growth by new births. Certainly, we would not want to have huge
numbers of children per couple. But then this is already the case in the
industrialized countries, where population numbers have been falling (if we
discount immigration from poorer countries). But if you mean that there are
"souls" queued up waiting to be born, then the answer is even simpler: There
are no souls.

Regards,

Michael LaTorra




"For any man to abdicate an interest in science is to walk with open eyes
towards slavery."
-- Jacob Bronowski

Member:
Extropy Institute: www.extropy.org
World Transhumanist Association: www.transhumanism.org
Alcor Life Extension Foundation: www.alcor.org
Society for Technical Communication: www.stc.org

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