X-Message-Number: 31417
From: 
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:33:45 EST
Subject: Stodolsky, conservatism etc.

Stodolsky wrote in part:
 
>As usual, Ettinger's social insights leave something to be desired.  We  
>know that a key variable in the acceptance of cryonics is  religiosity.  
>This would place George Wallace and Herbert Marcuse  on opposite ends  
>of the dimension. Wallace was a Born-again  Christian after 1964  
>according to Wikipedia. Marcuse seemed only  interested in the concept  
>of "God" as it was used for political  and social control.


As usual, Stodolsky's views are naive. It's not a question  of extremism but 
of ANY devotion or commitment or ideology or conditioning.  Political left 
wingers, as far as I can judge from our experience, are no more  likely to be 

cryonics-friendly than right wingers or centrists. Some would call  Libertarians
right wingers, but they are over-represented in cryonics.  Communists are left 
wingers, but decidedly under-represented in cryonics.  Humanists are probably 
more or less centrist politically, but also  under-represented in cryonics, 
as far as I can tell. Entrepeneurs seem  over-represented, and they tend to be 
somewhat to the right politically. 
 
Religiosity is obviously NOT an important factor in resistance to cryonics,  
except in the sense that any heavy commitment to something "higher" tends to  
override reason and self interest. Since EVERY group or label has only a tiny  
percentage of people seriously interested in cryonics, those labels cannot be 
 very important. The atheists of Russia or China (or anywhere) are no more  
receptive to cryonics than others.
 
Stodolsky also wrote:
>"The core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change  and  
>justification of inequality...." (Psychological  Bulletin
>2003, Vol. 129, No. 3, 339). Resistance to change is harmful to  the  
>growth of cryonics. Inequality reduces potential signups by  placing  
>cryonics economically beyond the reach of more people. We  also know  
>that conservatives tend to be religious. These factors  suggest that  
>political conservatism tends to inhibit the growth of  cryonics.  

To begin with, aside from the comical suggestion that quoting from a  journal 
should carry weight, this definition of conservatism is tiresomely  
simplistic. For Americans, one definition of conservatism is adherence to the  

principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, which  
include a 
version of equality of opportunity, equality in humanity, and  equality before 
the law.
 
Further, political conservatism does not mean resistance to change, only  

some kinds of change. Conservatives often are enthusiastic about several kinds

of change, especially those that promote general prosperity, including advances
 in technology. As far as I can tell, political conservatives are just as 

likely  as anyone else to be interested in nutritional supplements, for example.
They  want to be healthier, and want others to be also. 
 
Again: 
 
> Inequality reduces potential signups by  placing  
>cryonics economically beyond the reach of more  people.
 
For the umpteenth time, it is CLEAR that money is a very minor  factor in the 
slow growth of cryonics. There are millions of millionaires in the  U.S., 
with only a small fraction of 1 % of them in cryonics.
 
Robert Ettinger
 



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