X-Message-Number: 9137
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 08:08:16 -0800
From: Rand Simberg <>
Subject: re: Drama and Amnesia

Peter Merel opined:

>...I believe that it is dramatic context, the
>way we construe ourselves with respect to the 
>drama of our memories, that entirely determines 
>our identities. If we have a will to survive, it 
>is to fulfill a dramatic purpose. 

With all due respect, I would suggest that the will to survive is primarily
hardwired evolutionarily.  It seems somewhat obvious (at least to me <g>)
that creatures possessing a strong will to survive will be better adapted
than those who don't.  I enjoy living because I'm designed to, and I am
interested in cryonics because I enjoy living.  All this talk about drama
seems a little overdramatic to me.  :-)

>With the loss of dramatic context and of our recollection 
>of this context, with displacement in time and in memory, 
>what good does a beating heart and sound mind? Rand makes 
>the point that his own walking but disconnected carcass 
>would be to him no more or less than any man, and I can't 
>see how he is mistaken.

Nor can I.  I think that this is one of those fundamental disagreements
that I have with Bob.  He believes in a provable objective reality, and
that the nature of identity (among other impoderables) can be "known."  I
believe that it will always be subjective, and that even the belief in an
objective reality requires a leap of faith (or an axiom, if one is more
comfortable with the term).  There is no point in arguing the point (at
least with me), because I (and Goedel, among others) don't find it arguable.

In any event, because I think there is a good possibility that I will be
resurrected with memories, I remain interested in cryonics.

************************************************************************
  * 310 372-7963 (CA) 307 739-1296 (Jackson Hole)  
interglobal space lines  * 307 733-1391 (Fax) http://www.interglobal.org 

"Extraordinary launch vehicles require extraordinary markets..."

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9137