X-Message-Number: 12467
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: I was using two standards, one for knowledge and another for action
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 23:42:03 +1000 (EST)

Hi Mike!

Perhaps I put the matter too strongly. I've frequently found, however,
that things which first look simple turn out to be much harder than we
think, and it was general thoughts of this kind which made me comment that
working out how to vitrify brains may take longer than expected. 

In terms of the problem we're setting ourselves, we want to know that we
can vitrify the brains of primates (ideally chimpanzees, the closest to
us, though that starts to become morally questionable... and there are
plenty of other primates not so bright). Without actually doing that, we
don't KNOW that a treatment we've applied to a quite different animal
will still work. Yes, it's very likely, but not certain. And if it DID
turn out not to work so easily, we'd have to do extra experiments to fix
that problem.

So maybe I'm just setting higher standards for certainty.

I will point out, though, that if I find that I am dying (or those who are
caring for me find that) then I'd want to be suspended by a method which
is the best available within my budget. What you say increases my
conviction that vitrification with one of the solutions 21st Century 
Medicine has found is likely to be best available, NOW. I'm using two
different standards here: the evidence needed to assure me that something
is true, and the evidence needed to tell me that something is likely.

In any case, it's still good work and deserves praise, and even some
money.

			Best and long long life,

				Thomas Donaldson

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