X-Message-Number: 979 Date: 12 Jul 92 19:55:16 EDT From: Charles Platt <> Subject: CRYONICS I'd like people to give serious consideration to a general cryonics topic that has been concerning me, which is: How popular to we really want cryonics to be? In the past, the answer to this question was very simple. Cryonics was *so* unpopular, any growth was welcome. Today, however, the picture isn't quite so simple. We have seen rapid growth in the membership of Alcor, creating some problems (such as the need to move to a new building, coupled with insufficient money to pay for it). We have also seen three cryonic suspensions at Alcor in one month (plus an additional inconclusive standby), imposing a serious strain on personnel. This of course is unlikely to happen again for a long while, but was like a little glimpse into the future. It seems to me that the advantages and disadvantages of increased popularity for cryonics are as follows: 1. ADVANTAGES a) More membership fees; hence more money for research, properly paid employees, new facilities, and equipment. b) Increasing public acceptance of the idea; hence less backlash from government agencies, from relatives of people who deanimate, from hospitals, and so on. c) Indirect social benefits that could accrue as a result of more people taking a long-term view of life. 2. DISADVANTAGES a) Severe strain on resources during the difficult transition from voluntary help to properly paid professionals. b) Many new members, some of whom may become active in ways that are unpredictable and uncontrollable, with unknown effects on cryonics organizations and the public image of cryonics. Dilution of the dedicated spirit that only a small group of enthusiasts can possess. c) Errors and failures resulting from breakdowns in communication, which will be more frequent as the size of organizations increases. d) Bureaucratization of hitherto tight-knit organizations, so that they tend to become impersonal and inefficient. e) Less incentive for people in the far future to take the trouble to revive any one patient. One revived relic from the past is a thrilling novelty; 100 are interesting; 10,000 are tiresome; a million might constitute an unwelcome intrusion, especially if the world of the future is overpopulated. f) More potential for backlash from conservatives and nut groups. So long as cryonics is small, no one cares about it. If it became large, there would be more potential for resentment, envy, or outrage, leading to unpredictable consequences. g) More potential for corruption. If people start getting rich out of cryonics, we're likely to see more scams such as flourished in the very early days, when some people still *thought* they could get rich out of it. As you can see from the above, I envisage more minuses than pluses resulting from substantial growth. This doesn't mean that the overall balance is negative, because one of the pluses would be improved suspension capabilities, which could help to save my life--an overriding consideration, here! However, I'm beginning to think that while *some* growth would be helpful, it is not in our self-interest to have more than is strictly necessary. Any thoughts on this? --Charles Platt Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=979