X-Message-Number: 32639 Subject: Re: the folly of cryonics sans religion From: David Stodolsky <> Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:12:09 +0200 References: <> On 17 Jun 2010, at 11:00 AM, CryoNet wrote: > Q: The ubiquity of belief in all human societies, you argue, means religion is rooted in our brains. This is contradicted by research that shows that religiosity is directly related to social instability. > Q: Despite increasing secularization, especially in the West, most people have not become flat-out rationalists. Do you think that for many environmentalism is a religion? > A: That's absolutely right, and that's interesting because it is finally the fruit of pantheism, a very, very old religious idea. For many people, not using more than four sheets of toilet paper is an act of moral purification. > > Q: It's clear how socialization works, and how ritual supports belief, but are you also saying that the nature of religious belief means it long outlasts secular imitations? > A: Yes, those fail, all of them so far. The current environmentalist religion, 'global warming', is now in decline. Since that promoted the idea of 'overpopulation,' it was a barrier to sign-ups. On the Badger survey, overpopulation was one of the 'moral' objections to cryonics. This is the right time for a new secular effort that incorporates cryonics. dss David Stodolsky Skype: davidstodolsky Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=32639