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