X-Message-Number: 9914
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 10:24:26 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #9910 - #9913

Hi everyone!

To Saul Kent:

This issue seems to come up as background to what you say so constantly
you may not be aware of it. YOU SPEAK ALWAYS AS IF THE FUTURE WILL BE
A SINGLE TIME. When you say that you do not think it will be possible
to make "our best cryonics methods" (as of when?) affordable to all
(as of when) you seem to suppose that we will face a static situation
in our suspension technology.

First of all, I do agree that wealthy people generally will get better
treatment than poorer people. But that does not mean that even the 
poorer people will AT ALL TIMES get the same treatment, and with effort
we may find that, yes, at time T0 the wealthy get treatment A, while
the poor must be content with treatment B --- but at time (T0 + 100 yrs)
guess what, the poor are getting treatment A then. It need not even
take 100 years. That's the way technology often proceeds.

And yes, IF we wish to avoid lots of turmoil, the simple thing to do
is not just to find a suspension method which is reversible (that's
only the first step!) but to find one which is cheap, too. Not only
that, but if suspending people with the best experimental methods
of time T0 looks like it may be dangerous, then there are ways to
deflect that danger. Like, for instance, working hard to make such
methods much less expensive. If it really looks dangerous enough,
someone who wants to live rather than take part in lots of social
turmoil (possibly fatal) might even choose to use a less advanced
method.

Of course, ideally we find that expensive method before most people,
either rich or poo, even become interested in cryonic suspension;
and by the time they become interested, then we've found the less
expensive way to do the same thing. And there is some leeway: we
live in a society in which rich and poor are not at one another's
throats. I would hope that situation continues.

The drama suggested by the idea that "no less expensive method can
be found" seems to me not only to contradict some basic ideas of 
cryonics, but to emphasize struggle, turmoil, great speeches made
before execution, etc etc etc. All that should be consigned to the
past. I'm not interested in drama, I just want to live.

The future consists of much more time than our historical past ---
anyone's historical past. Not only that, but once suspended, there
is no physical reason why you must be revived as soon as possible.
If I miss the 21st and 22nd centuries, but am revived in the 23rd,
how will that matter to me when I reach the age of 1000? So, Saul,
you will be 1200 years old, and I will be 1000. Big deal.

		Best and long long life to all,

			Thomas Donaldson

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9914