X-Message-Number: 25690
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 08:36:00 -0500
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #25681 - #25688

Hi everyone!

As you may have guessed (and probably think yourselves) Kurzweil, if
he really wants to live forever, would phone up Alcor or the Cryonics
Institute and ask how to join immediately.

The point is, joining a cryonics society is a concrete act, not a 
play with the theory of future developments and how fast or slowly
they will arrive. I would say that his care for his health is also
concrete, but I've seen far too many people busily caring for 
their health when they're struck down by a heart attack, or cancer,
or a selection of other fatal diseases. You can care for your
health as much as you want, but in a fundamental sense you're 
still failing to deal with your own death: so far, we have no health
treatments at all guaranteed to prolong your lifespan one iota.

I also remember even when I was a boy knowing people (my Grandfather
included) who believed that the problem of death and aging would
be solved in their lifespans. No, it wasn't.

As for Kurzweil, it's not even obvious that the things he's doing
to preserve his health actually do so. Some drugs do increase
lifespans, at least of mice or rats --- but you can also take
overdoses of them, and some may conflict with the others to 
give you a ZERO increase in lifespan.

Given Kurzweil's apparent great interest in his health, and his
total lack of consideration of cryonics, he has to my own mind
produced the best criticism ever of his own theories and ideas.
Just like an actor he may say many striking things --- but
fails to live them in truth.

         Best wishes and long long life for all,

              Thomas Donaldson

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