X-Message-Number: 2399
Date: 04 Sep 93 02:54:21 EDT
From: David Cosenza <>
Subject: CRYONICS no subject

Cryonet:

>Message: #2378 - no subject
>Message-Subject: CRYONICS no subject
>From:  (Charles Platt)
>Date: Sat, 07 Aug 93 18:14:52 EDT
>
>I have made a personal decision, as a result of which I will 
>will be withdrawing from all participation in Cryonet and 
>will not reply to any postings. A letter from me may be 
>published in due course in Cryonics magazine, after the 
>September elections.

[deleted]

>Message: #2396 - Cryonics as a Social Trend
>Message-Subject: CRYONICS Cryonics as a Social Trend
>From:  (Charles Platt)
>Date: Fri, 03 Sep 93 11:32:32 EDT
>
>September 3, 1993

Welcome Back Charles!

[deleted]

>I would be interested if anyone on CryoNet has comments on 
>this argument, pro or con. I would also appreciate it if 
>anyone can supply additional factual material to support the 
>argument.

My comments are mainly pro, you've done an outstanding job!

I would like to offer you some alternative arguments that are not contrary 
to your own, but that bolster the conclusion.

"The Awareness of Mortality": This section makes sense, but I think the 
first words spoken were by children trying to convey the concept "I'm 
hungry."

"Doublethink about Danger": Your thesis that people take risks because
they misassess the danger involved may be true, but another reason why 
unreasonable risk taking (other than self-deception or doublethink) is the 
preception that life is too short.  For instance, "If I'm going to live 70 
years or so, why not fight a war for my country, ideals, religion etc.."  
I would say that quality of life factors into these determinations as 
well.

"A Shift in Values": Your title for this section is right on the mark, and 
further supported by the fact that modern medicine is probably less of a 
cause for the changes you described than the wealth created by the 
capitalist industrial revolution and the liberal ethic that followed.  As 
you noted in "Limits to Life", some folks have always managed long life 
span, some through sheer luck, but most because they had the wealth (and 
consequently the education) that are prerequisite to making healthy 
choices.

As for the rest of your piece, I think it is well written and logically 
presented.  Keep up the good work!

(I hear that you yourself are no longer signed up, I sincerely hope that 
you remedy this soon, your life is to precious to waste!)

Ever forward,

David

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