X-Message-Number: 5167
Date:  Sun, 12 Nov 95 17:57:51 
From: Steve Bridge <>
Subject: Survey on World without Death

To CryoNet
>From Steve Bridge
November 12, 1995

In response to:   Message #5156
                  From:  (David Stodolsky)
                  Subject: World without death not wanted
                  Date: Sat, 11 Nov 95 17:56:20 +0100

     Very interesting post about the survey on attitudes toward the
abolition of death.  Of course the results are severely skewed by the
narrow make-up of the respondents, "600 persons attending conferences,
workshops, or courses focusing on death."   I have given many talks to
"Death and Dying" classes, and it is apparent that the focus of the course
is usually to make the class members *comfortable* with the idea of death.
In addition, on average, I suspect that students taking these courses, the
professors teaching them, and surely people attending *conferences* on
death start out being prepared to accept death -- or they wouldn't be
attending at all.

     And whether they consciously appreciate it or not, many professors
and professional "death counselors" may defend death because it is the
concept upon which their profession centers.  They cannot imagine a world
without death any more than a parasitologist could imagine a world without
parasites.

     It would be much more interesting and valid to perform this survey on
more random groups of people.

     Now, I assure you that, while I think that the precise *percentages*
are invalid in the survey quoted, I am positive that the same variety of
responses does occur in the general population.  I would certainly agree
that the majority of Americans would conclude that the end of death would
be generally bad for the human race.

     Stodolsky's suggestion that cryonics literature is much too narrow
and neglects to take this negativity into account is quite correct.  We'll
have to look at that ourselves.

>The second edition of this book is a complete rewrite, and is well worth
>a read. The author works in Arizona as do Greenberg, et al, authors of an
>earlier cited article on terror management theory. Maybe ALCOR could
>attempt to involve these people.

     Several of us know Kastenbaum, and I have spoken at his Death and
Dying class class at Arizona State University.  Somehow we have missed
this particular book, however.  We'll look for it.  But he is NOT a fellow
who will become interested in cryonics.  He's definitely one of the "be
comfortable with death" folks.

     I have attempted to contact Greenberg in the past but have had no
response.

Steve Bridge, Alcor


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