X-Message-Number: 8803
From:  (Ken Stone)
Subject: Re: CryoNet #8792 - #8800
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 22:26:00 GMT
References: <>

Thomas Donaldson writes:

>Hara Ra has actually brought up a THIRD reason for not signing up other than
>the others (or is it a 4th?). Just to keep count, here are the ones I've
>noticed in this discussion:
>
>1. Skepticism about whether or not cryonics will work
>2. Fear of social isolation after revival
>3. Fear of social isolation before suspension ie. joining a cryonics society
>   will make you look weird and lose you all your friends
>4. Unconscious desire for death due to strong dislike of life

Here are a few more, off the top of my head:

5.  Religious objections/fears, based on a belief that choosing cryonics 
      might ruin one's chances of getting into heaven to spend that eternal
      happy afterlife with God.
6.  A belief that one's financial resources would be more appropriately
      allocated elsewhere (especially for one's family).
7.  Dislike/skepticism/indecision about existing cryonics organizations.
8.  A belief that immortality is somehow unethical, and that we should all only
     have one 'normal' lifespan. Possible subarguments include:
     a) overpopulation (in the absence of effective controls on family size)
     b) stagnation of the species (in the presence of such controls), as most
        progress is brought on by succeeding generations after the previous
        ones have finally gotten out of the way and taken their stale ideas
        with them.  Try to imagine the number of young people in this country
        that are waiting for Jesse Helms to hurry up and die already.
     c) cryonics is a squandering of resources on the elite in a world where
        hunger/poverty is already rampant.  (Remember, most people don't have
        libertarian/objectivist beliefs.)
9.  Fear of slavery upon revival. 

10. Fear of severe pain/discomfort, whether before, during, or after suspension.
    (Some people believe in souls/spirits. One might envision suspension as
    being less like 'sleep' and more like being trapped in a frozen hell,
    waiting for countless years to be thawed out.)
11. Never having heard of cryonics or given the matter serious thought.


-Ken

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