X-Message-Number: 28488 Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 09:17:48 -0400 From: Francois <> Subject: Re: On the difficulties to sell cryonics Thank you for clarifying some of the terms I used. Not being formaly trained in this domain, I of course have difficulties finding and using the proper terminology. The fact that you did not dismiss everything I wrote out of hand indicates at least that I understand some of what I read =8) I still think that faith goes much deeper than mere culture. A parallel can be made with language. The languages humans use depend on the languages used around them as they grow up and on whatever language they later chose to learn because they find them advantageous. That's the cultural aspect of language. But the capacity and drive to learn and use language, those are genetically programmed in us. Similarly, the religious beliefs of people come from the beliefs they are exposed to while growing up. That's the cultural aspect of faith. But faith itself, the capacity and drive to believe in something, to percieve the existence of a spiritual dimension even though such a dimension does not exist, that's also genetically programmed in us. If this is so, then there should be regions of our brains dedicated to faith and spirituality, just like there are regions of our brains dedicated to language. From what I have read on the subject, this does seem to be the case. I also think that the nature of faith will negate much of the uncertainty usually involved in human decision making whenever religion is concerned. As I stated, in order to work properly faith cannot be questionned. People's beliefs must be held as true with complete certainty or they risk being exposed to the real truth. Deciding to use cryonics instead of more traditional burial practices would expose one to the real truth. Therefore, attempts to convince someone to go that way will be resisted with far more energy than if we simply attempted to make them switch from burial to cremation. And I don't think the higher cost of cryonics is a major factor. After all, many conventional funeral packages cost as much, if not more than cryonic services. >References: <> >From: David Stodolsky <> >Subject: Re: On the difficulties to sell cryonics. >Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:18:02 +0200 >On 23 Sep 2006, at 19:17, Francois wrote: >> Something emerged from these interractions, a new and never before >> seen >> instinct that could be called faith. >According to terror management theory, what emerges is a motive or >drive. >> >> Faith can be seen as a veil put by evolution in front of the >> oblivion abyss >> we will all enter, sooner or later. It hides that abyss from everyday >> conciousness, it gives hope and it provides meaning to our existence. >According to TMT, this would be termed the cultural anxiety buffer. >> With the >> research being conducted in the domain of cryopreservation, sooner >> or later >> someone will succeed in suspending and reviving a complete living >> creature, >> dog, rat, monkey, whatever. At that point, cryonics will become a >> lot more >> attractive and these facts make me believe that it will someday >> become much >> more widely accepted. Until then, it simply cannot compete >> effectively with >> faith and religion. >This conclusion doesn't hold up if we consider the role of >uncertainty in human decisionmaking. What is true is that cryonics, >as a burial practice, can't compete with other burial practices that >are a lot cheaper. And that are inbedded in a organizational >framework that offers immediate rewards and services on a regular basis. >A competition can only be evaluated when comparing like with like. >Thus, one between a church offering all services including cryonics >and one offering all services but cryonics. >I included this argument in: >Salvation in the Space Age or How does Astrobiology get more Funding? >Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics, Copenhagen, Denmark. >Abstract: URL <http://dss.secureid.org/stories/storyReader$124> >Slides (3.5 MB): URL <http://www.nordita.dk/~brandenb/astrobiology/ >seminar/Talks/Stodolsky06.pdf> >dss >David Stodolsky Skype: davidstodolsky Francois Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=28488