X-Message-Number: 9580 Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 07:18:00 -0400 From: "Andrew S.Davidson" <> Subject: Why Don't People Sign Up For Cryonics? Saul Kent wrote: > I would like to hear others on this forum give their >opinions on the number one reason people don't sign up for >cryonics. I not only want to know why you think people don't sign >up, but I'd like you to state your evidence for this belief. I think the quality of the freezing process is not a significant factor. Much more significant is one of the items you list: > 4) It is not possible to restore people to life after "death". People know that you can already freeze people - they could do themselves in their home freezer. What they don't know is that you can be revived and cured after thawing. This is especially true of a lingering death from old age or cancer. A sudden death from a heart attack or stroke is a more plausible case for recovery but this is not the sort of thing you can or do plan for. Another strong factor must be the perception that freezing is an impossibly expensive procedure - only for the likes of Walt Disney and Elvis Presley - not within the reach of ordinary folk. This seems to be the biggest flaw of most press coverage - journalists like to hype up the expense of the process. For an = example, see this week's New Scientist which has a large article on the current state of cryobiology including an interview with Hugh Hixon. One point I noticed was the statement that you need ~ $100,000 "up front" to be frozen - this would tend to deter most folk. Finally, note that I, myself, have not signed up. In my case, it's a lack of confidence in the current organisations (the people not the process) and a general feeling that I have plenty of time (~30 years) to make arrangements. A good salesman could probably beat down my procrastination but no-one is banging on my door trying to make that sale. In fact organisations like Alcor seem to do the opposite - they emphasise the problems and lack of certainty. This may help avoid persecution by the authorities and press but is no way to win business. In my field, companies like IBM, Oracle and Microsoft didn't get rich by selling folk high quality products - their strength was high quality marketing. Andrew Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9580