X-Message-Number: 4449
From: 
Date: Thu, 25 May 1995 14:05:22 -0400
Subject: #4444

Yvan Bozzonetti (#4444) says some puzzling things about uploading and
cryonics organizations. Some comments:

1. If someone is considering cryostasis as a bridge to uploading (rather than
a bridge to nanotech repair), why does that require that his cryonics
organization be actively involved in uploading-directed work? If a Cryonics
Institute patient wants uploading rather than revival in the flesh, or wants
whichever comes first, we will honor his choice. The uploading capability (if
it ever comes) will probably be a product of the scientific community as a
whole, or large parts of it, not just one cryonics organization or even
several of them.

Further, there is the obvious practical consideration: if you hold off until
you are satisfied with the uploading effort of a cryonics organization, you
risk dying meanwhile with NOTHING in place. 

2. Unless I am missing something, I see only one reason why uploading MIGHT
conceivably be easier, or more likely attainable, than nanotech repair. That
is the possibility that nanotech repair demands sufficiently detailed
NON-DESTRUCTIVE analysis, whereas conceivably uploading might only demand
sufficiently detailed analysis, which could be destructive if necessary,
since you only need to read once. Seems mighty dubious.

3. Mr. Bozzonetti leaves totally out of account the possibility that
uploading may turn out not to be possible, even in principle. There are still
too many unknowns, including the nature of the subjective circuit. He seems
 to characterize confidence in nanotech as religious faith (I think rather
unkindly and unfairly); I would say that confidence in uploading is at least
equally unjustified. 

4. He seems to say that, since French law prevents timely cryonic suspension,
the only hope for French residents is uploading, since a warm ischemic delay
that would rule out revival in the flesh would not rule out uploading. In
other words, he seems to think that sufficient information, even under bad
French conditions, would be preserved to allow uploading (i.e., all the
information crucial to the individual), but that (even though
information-theoretic death has not occurred by his hypothesis) revival by
nanotech repair would be impossible. I don't think he has made this argument
even plausible, let alone compelling.

(I did enjoy his piece on photons, and have several ideas about it, if I ever
get a chance to devote some time to it.)

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute


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