X-Message-Number: 8174
Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 08:25:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: Bizarre behavior

On Sun, 4 May 1997, CryoNet wrote:

> The fact is, as all in the current discussion have conceded, we may be in a 
> manufactured environment that is not the "real" world. 

I'm sick of this. The state of the universe (real, fake, original version,
replica) is totally beyond my control and obviously remains a matter of
inconclusive philosophical debate that can achieve precisely NOTHING to
improve anyone's odds of survival. 

The state-of-the-art of cryonics is, without a doubt, something that I CAN
influence, allowing me to achieve MUCH to improve my odds of survival.
Since cryonics right now must be a source of anxiety and concern for
anyone who bothers to glance at a few electron micrographs of ripped brain
tissue, it is achingly obvious that masturbatory speculation about "our
friends in the future," "our simulation programmers," or "God" is not
merely irrelevant, but counterproductive. 

In this area, an old sixties aphorism comes to mind: If you're not part 
of the solution, you're part of the problem.

I have great respect for Dyson and Moravec. Indeed I wrote a novel heavily
influenced by Moravec, have visited his lab, and also wrote probably the
longest magazine article ever published about his work. I note however
that Moravec is not interested in cryonics because he believes quite
seriously that the odds are highly in favor of this universe being a
simulation run by the descendants of future robot minds who may be
indulging in a kind of nostalgia trip. Fine; Moravec has his worldview in
place, and he doesn't need to post about it to CryoNet. 

I have no idea why others feel such a need unless they, too, really have 
no serious interest in cryonics. How else can I explain their urge to
debate how many simulated angels can dance in a cellular automaton, 
while we all race madly toward the oblivion of mortality?

Bizarre.

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8174