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From att!sun!pyramid!munnari!basser.cs.su.oz.au!pete Mon Apr 17 13:49:18 1989
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From: sun!munnari!basser.cs.su.oz.au!pete
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Date: Mon, 17 Apr 89 18:47:12 EST
To: munnari!ho4cad!kqb
Subject: CRYONICS - Re: Individual Survival
Cc: pyramid!pete
Status: R

In article #72, kqb writes:
>Editorial / Opinion - The Fate of Individual Survival
[...]

The idea that better technologies, of whatever nature, will enable individual
humans to merge memories and awareness is not new to literature. Olaf
Stapeldon's "First and Last Men", written in the 1930's, deals with this
idea and many similar. Other notable treatments include Arthur C. Clarke's
"Childhood's End", Spider Robinson's "Time Pressure", Greg Bear's "Blood
Music", Varley's "Persistence of Memory", Gibson's "Neuromancer", and 
most especially, Phillip K. Dick's "UBIK".

To be short - I don't buy it. Let me ask you: would you rather control your
own destiny, or give up some or all of the responsibility for your thoughts
and life to some metapsychic octopus with a secret agenda?

I don't think I'm paranoid, but if you tell me that Buddha himself would like 
an option on a corner of my skull, be prepared for an armed response. I love 
being me. I get very close to the other people I love, too. But while they 
occupy the largest part of my heart, my head is my own exclusive stamping 
ground. What else can I call my own? Where else do I repair when the whole 
rest of the world rats on me? Where else can I be God? Where else do I keep 
the things I've lost? Where else do my dreams live?

I'm leery of your "high bandwidth direct brain / computer interconnection".
The RISKs of such an interconnection are beyond estimation. If you ever come 
at me with your circuit boards, soldering iron and machete, I'll fight to the 
death. I mean, haven't you ever wished you could shut your ears the same way 
you shut your eyes? What if you couldn't shut your eyes, either? If your 
reality was absolutely defined by someone else?  Even Orwell didn't let the 
bastards inside your skull. The whole thing sounds like existentialist hell, 
and I don't credit it. No-one could be stupid enough to let themselves in for 
such bargain-basement soul obliteration. I, personally, would rather be safely 
and irrevocably dead.
--

That is beyond your compression - Galaxy Being, Outer Limits.  

(pete%) {uunet,mcvax,ukc,nttlab}!munnari!basser.oz!pete

JANET: (POST) pete%         (MAIL) EAN%""

[ Pete, it looks like this struck a raw nerve.  Thanks for saying so.  Perhaps
  other people feel the same way, too, yet remained silent.  I'll post my
  reply within a week or so.  Meanwhile, does anyone else have any comments?
  - Kevin Q. Brown ]

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