Re: Cryonics & psychopharmacology

From: Chris Hibbert (hibbert@netcom.com)
Date: Sun Jun 04 2000 - 12:01:22 MDT


A few weeks ago, someone challenged Damien about being signed up for
Cryonics. His reply (included below, since it's been awhile) was that
he doubts that current cryonics technology will lead to viable
freezings. I think that misses one of the points about signing up now.
You should buy insurance now so you can afford to get frozen when you're
older, insurance would be more expensive, and the technology will be
better. If you don't buy the insurance now, it's much harder to afford
later. If you're already in a position that you can set aside the
appropriate amount of money now, you don't have to worry about getting
the insurance now. Signing up now gives a boost to the people working
on the technology now. You wouldn't want them to stop working on it
would you?

I'm a pessimist about some kinds of development. I think cryonics will
be the only chance of reaching the distant future for too many of us,
and I think it'll be useful for at least a few decades before quality
stasis and revival equipment can keep an accident victim from having to
succumb for a while. (I leave aside the arguments of those who said
they had no personal desire to survive; that didn't seem to be your point.)

I'm also making progress on being healthy enough to survive without
needing that safety net. I'm 41, but according to realage.com, I have
the life expectancy of a 30-year old! This site (though it's hard to
tell by looking at it) was recommended by Health magazine as basing its
recommendations on only the largest controlled, long-term studies. The
book (RealAge: Are You as Young as You Can Be?) apparently has better
references to the studies its based on.

Chris

------- Forwarded Message

Chimera wrote:
>BTW, are you already signed up, Damien? ;-)

No. I live in the wrong part of the world (as do most people, of course).
And besides, I estimate that there's bugger-all chance of successful
revival given current best state of the art. I just hope I can cling on
long enough for age-halting and then reversing processes to become
affordably available. But my brain is already slowly degrading, I feel it
happening year by year as I grow palpably stupider and more forgetful.
Daisy daiisssyyyy.

Damiiieeeeen

------- End of Forwarded Message



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