X-Message-Number: 6841 Date: Tue, 03 Sep 1996 19:33:48 -0700 From: (Olaf Henny) Subject: Cryonics: Cerdibility, Credibility and Credibility For us involved in cryonics (in my case vicariously) it may be difficult to understand the scepticisms involved in the assessment of this science by outsiders and the only casually informed. Let us look at a couple of men in other disciplines for a more neutral perspective: Copernicus, the discoverer of the heliocentric 'universe', I am sure was the target of much ridicule for his theory (it was plain there for everybody to see, that the sun circled around the earth once every day and was chased down and passed by the moon once every 28 days or so). I am quite sure, that this must have been the reason, why he published his: "On the revolutions of the heavenly spheres (De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, Nuremberg, 1543)" only in his last days. Erich von Däniken, contemporary, and therefore still much more controversial, the author of 'Chariots Of The Gods' asks some pertinent and as yet unanswered questions about, what he interprets as, evidence of visits from outer space. While it is very premature to accept his theories as probable, any curious mind must come to the conclusion, that they are worthy of some investigative research. The problem is, that von Däniken was not an archeologist (his formal education was the equivalent of non-academic Grade 12). Had his questions been asked by an establishment archeologist, there would by now be a proliferation of working papers on the subject published. His problem was not the subject of his assertions, but the wrong man making these assertions. Our galaxy alone has somewhere between 150 and 250 billion stars (stellar systems?) that is about 30 to 50 stellar systems(?) for every man, woman and child on our planet. It is absurd to think, that we are the only intellectually evolved race in our galaxy, let alone the universe. Yet von Däniken was pooh-poohed or ignored by the archeological establishment (he was not one of *them*, how could he dare come up with something they had not thought of or had not had the guts to mention). Just think, if, when the earth was formed 4.5 billion years ago a similar planet had formed in a different star system and had gone through a similar geological and biological development, leading to evolvement of a sapient race, as earth, but only in 1% less time, we would have now a race, which is 45 million years ahead of us in terms of scientific development [compared to our twenty thousand years since settlement and development of earliest agriculture, they would have had 4,520,000 years ;-)) ]. What has all this to do with cryonics?: CREDIBILITY! It was not until some 50 years after Copernicus' death, that Kepler proved out his theories mathematically and established credibility for him. Let us hope, that Paul Wakfer and others like he can do that for cryonics in a much shorter time period. But for the time being what do we have to present to sceptics? - A few small organisms revived to cheerful bounciness - Some human (correct me, if I am wrong)and other organs temporarily frozen at temperatures much too high for indefinite storage. - Some human embryos frozen and viably revived after several years. - Whatever it is, that Olga Visser has accomplished and won't tell us about. - A couple of hundred optimists, who had themselves frozen, trusting future technology to overcome the shortcomings of our present one. (I am sure, that I will receive corrections to the above list. I do not lay claim to have comprehensive knowledge about the programme, but I believe the premiss is safe, that the existing technological base for cryonics is *thin*.) What does this all lack ? - CREDIBILITY Many of us rationalize, that the slim hope for revival is better than certain death, but how many have the self assurance to withstand their friends' and families' ridicule after they tell them, that they signed up for cryo- preservation based on the above evidence of achievements to date. If Prometheus can establish, that a brain can be reactivated and functional, that would be a *huge* step beyond the above and toward - CREDIBILITY If the re-awakened brain could be proven to function *rationally*, that would solve as far as I am concerned the bulk of all problems *now* facing cryonics. It would mean, that 70% of my "self" can be preserved for future revival (we are still arguing about the 'soul' and I have my little pet concern: the glands and my 'emotional personality'). It would also represent a quantum leap toward CREDIBILITY. At present time much of cryonet and sci.cryonics revolves around the recruiting, subscribing to and cancelling of cryonic preservation of and by Timothy Leary and his final rejection of the procedure. While I agree, that the cryonic preservation of a well known personality like Mr. Leary is of obvious promotional value to the cause of cryonics, the ceaseless re-hashing and re- re-hashing of Mr. Leary's rocky road to- and away from cryo- suspension elevates him to a level of prominence within the cryonic community, which is may be counter productive. To those of us, who do not adhere to the drug culture, Timothy Leary was simply an unabashed drug user, who happened to be highly articulate. The high degree of reverence accorded to him within the cryonics movement may well suggest to many an inappropriately tolerant attitude toward drugs by the leaders oforganizations, which are the only ones available, to which I can *entrust* my quest for a second and potentially much longer life. This is very unhelpful in garnering confidence in cryonics and - CREDIBILITY. Most of all we have to start pretenting to more maturity than we evidently possess: The childish "did so - did not" style bickering, that is going on among the primary proponents of cryonics is enough to make anybody, who wants to casually inform him-/herself turn tail in a hurry. That, more than anything destroys our CREDIBILITY. In my next posting I will make some concrete suggestions on how we can clean up our act, so that we can be taken seriously by those who are interested to learn more about cryonics. Olaf Henny ------------------------------------------------------------------- To argue with those, who have no curiosity for any viewpoint but their own, is rarely fruitful. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6841