X-Message-Number: 28514
References: <>
From: David Stodolsky <>
Subject: Re: Cryonics and the certainty of death
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 22:43:37 +0200

On 25 Sep 2006, at 19:40,  wrote:

>  Instead of depicting the intention of cryonics as medical,  
> cryonicists often hold up cryonics as a "solution" to the problem  
> of death (ha!), an alternative interment method, or even as a  
> competitor with religion.


There seems to be some confusion about the definition of a church. A  
church is an organizational form, it may or may not be associated  
with a religion

Similarly, we should not compare cryonics with religion, since one is  
a procedure and the other a belief system. However, since a major  
driver for development of  culture (religious or otherwise) is the  
fear of death, cryonics could play a role in transcending the  
dominate cultural frame.


Another source of confusion is the stage of development of the  
cryonics movement. According to social movement theory, a movement  
goes thru several stages; isolation, accommodation, and, finally,  
achieves the status of a mass movement.

The early years of the cryonics movement, were clearly an  
isolationist stage. No active political initiatives were taken.

Recently, the movement has become politically active, has formed its  
own church, has been registered, in some cases, as a cemetery, etc.  
That is, it interacts with the mainstream on the mainstreams terms -  
which specify that cryonics is an alternative burial practice. Even  
life insurance would not be paid, if cryonics was considered a  
medical procedure, thus cutting funding options for many.

Once cryonics becomes a mass movement, it will be in a position to  
redefine itself as a medical intervention. This is a long way off.

So, regardless of the way we prefer to regard cryonics, the  
surrounding society will continue to see it as a burial procedure and  
regulate it as such. So, from a social movement prospective, we must  
ask, how can we handle this transition period, during which  
accommodation to the dominate culture is the only way to proceed?


dss


David Stodolsky    Skype: davidstodolsky

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