X-Message-Number: 26406
From: 
Subject: Cryonics vs. Undertaking
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 17:20:40 +0000


      I disagree with Thomas Donaldson that there are no examples in medicine of
      caring for patients with uncertain prognosis, or of delivering care in 
      expectation of future developments.  But whether cryonics has medical 
      precedent is beside the point.  The point is that the *purpose* of 
      cryonics is to make people healthy again (medicine), not care for dead 
      bodies (undertaking).


       Flavonoid's objection that cryonics requires legal death to be 
       implemented (life insurance, disposition laws, closure for non-cryonicist
       family, etc.) is also beside the point.  These laws will not be changed 
       for the forseeable future.  Family members who believe cryonics can't 
       work will continue to believe their cryopreserved loved ones are 
       deceased.  The point is that it is beneficial for even people who don't 
       believe cryonics can work to understand what cryonicists believe about 
       cryonics.  Cryonicists believe that future criteria for death will differ
       from contemporary criteria, and the purpose of cryonics is to move 
       people to the future for treatment by much more advanced medicine.  
       Cryonicists do not believe that cryonics is resurrection, or calling 
       people back from heaven, "paying God", or interferring with any religious
       traditions.  THAT is very important and useful for people to know, 
       whether they themselves give any weight to the science behind cryonics or
       not.

----Brian Wowk 

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