X-Message-Number: 27125 References: <> From: David Stodolsky <> Subject: Re: To Thomas Donaldson (Re: politics) Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2005 20:26:38 +0200 On 22 Sep 2005, at 17:45, Olaf Henny wrote: > I agree with you, that if you think about your death, that politics > are > > unimportant. However if you like most cryonicists, are thinking about > > extreme life extension, then you should be concerned, that even today > > the seeds are sown for the kind of society, which you would be revived > > into. > > > > However, having said that, I strongly believe, that political > discussion > > has no place on Cryonet, simply because of our vulnerability to the > > divergent philosophy of the overwhelming majority. This is exactly why political discussion *is* appropriate on CryoNet. There appears to be a persistent blindness among cryonicists concerning the political and social aspects of saving lives. In at least one case, this has resisted revision since 1977: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=66 If one examined the FuneralGate links I posted earlier, they would have discovered that five thousand dollars placed in the hands of an aspiring politician can ensure no interference from government officials no matter what you do with deceased persons' bodies. This is a lot cheaper then a court case, and maybe even be cheaper than helping politicians who have shown support for cryonics after a political attack has already been launched. The cryonics movement has thus far been dragged into political action only in reaction to threats that have appeared. It is time to realize that proactive measures are essential. The cryonics movement must set the political agenda on issues of importance to it, in order to ensure survival of suspendees. In earlier discussion, it was agreed that the resources for universal cryonic suspension already existed in developed countries, such as the USA. The conclusion is that only political and social barriers prevent the wide-spread adoption of the technology. In this situation, the total lack of a proactive political program is short sighted. Such a program would include a social and political research organization (think tank) to survey public opinion and political realities, and to outline the most appropriate moves that could be taken by a separate political action committee. A formal arrangement would make contributions tax deductible. It would also form an institutional base from which to challenge the prejudicial exclusion of cryonicists and and their work from the main scientific journals. Scientific acceptance is an essential step toward public acceptance of cryonics, with the possibility of government supported research, etc. If this sounds unrealistic, note that NASA's support of research on hibernation continued through 1980, only stopping because of a lack of funds. Every successful social movement goes through a stage of isolation from the main stream, during which it develops its institutions and strategies. After this exclusionary stage, it transforms itself into a mass movement via an inclusive strategy (by the way, social movement theory is now the hot topic in marketing and advertising): http://trainingforchange.org/content/view/208/33/ The quote above assumes that cryonics remains forever in the first stage. However, sooner or later it will be appropriate to move to another stage. The best timing and strategy for doing this could be a first job for a cryonics think tank. To believe that cryonics, as a technology alone, can succeed against opponents politically well connected with the latest strategic expertise is naive. dss David Stodolsky Skype: davidstodolsky Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=27125