X-Message-Number: 962 Date: 06 Jul 92 22:24:16 EDT From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: Re: cryonics: #956 - #960 With reference to the comments made about my own statements that we should not seriously expect totally autonomous machines to be made: In any attempt to foresee the future, we must make hypotheses about how human beings will behave. That is inescapable. True, we can imagine many other kinds of behavior. But we are not writing fiction here, we are trying to understand fact, and one of those facts is our own existence and feelings. My original comments about Freeman's ideas began by saying that they sounded like they had come from someone who had been reading too much bad science fiction. Bad science fiction is notorious for making quite implausible assumptions about human behavior --- of course, if we make such assumptions we can devise many frightening and gory scenarios. But that again is fiction rather than any attempt to REALLY anticipate the future. Not only that, but in any such attempt to anticipate our REAL future problems we can waste a tremendous amount of time talking about quite ridiculous scenarios.... to the detriment of preparation for the more likely possibilities. No, I do not think that the human race will deliberately choose to commit collective suicide. Freeman's "superior machines" would merely be one way of doing so; and if anyone believes that the human race WILL choose to commit suicide, it should be clear to them that no amount of preparation by us now will prevent it. Our machines may malfunction, yes ... and do a lot of damage. But they will not rebel. Why? BECAUSE WE DESIGNED THEM NOT TO REBEL. Best, and long life (for those who want to try for it) Thomas Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=962