X-Message-Number: 28714
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
Subject: Positive fiction
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 11:28:21 -0000

George Bernard Shaw's series of plays "Back to Methuselah" is a positive
work about immortality. In this series of plays a spontaneous mutation did
the business, the rest was about the effect on the world. Don't be put off 
by the religious aspects of the first play set in the Garden of Eden -- the 
second and subsequent plays are much more down to earth. Shaw regarded this
as his gift to the future. As far as I know no official recording exists of
the radio production, as it was broadcast well before recording machines
were commonplace, and the BBC didn't keep everything as recording tape was
expensive at that time. The plays are available in print, but even a first
edition on eBay gets very little money.

As to Captain Oates being reanimated, this idea was explored in a radio
play, and it would be a hard job to find the title except for Google.
http://www.swalks.com/radio.html

I would agree that it is an interesting idea, and I don't suppose that the 
play mentioned above treated the concept very well, as it was billed as a 
comedy. Of course no one can be sure what future technology could achieve, 
but present understanding of the nature of reality suggests that the 
reanimation of Captain Oates after burial in Arctic ice for hundreds of 
years is extremely unlikely.

-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz:  http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including
Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley
Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy,  Nomad .. and
more 

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