X-Message-Number: 1314
Subject: CRYONICS Re: Future need for cryonics
From:  (Edgar W. Swank)
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 92 05:09:57 PDT

Reference: Msg # 1295
 
To Thomas Donaldson:
 
I don't think it's such a strong (much less religious) statement that
ZERO (or next to it) suspensions of the dead or dying will occur after
development of a reliable backup/restore technology. In the broadest
sense, backup IS a form of suspension; in that sense suspension will
be very common; everybody will do it every year or even more often.
 
Current computer backup procedures, while not perfect, come close.
Typically three generations of backup data are retained, with at
least one copy at a remote location. Typically the remote location
is a "hardened" site in a mountain cave impervious to anything short
of a nuclear direct hit.
 
In spite of frequent reports of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and
other "disasters", I can't recall any incident of a bank losing it's
computer data (which would mean losing track of who had how much on
deposit!!).
 
In any case, human backup/restore technology doesn't have to be
"perfect", just more reliable than suspension of the dead or dying.
It seems obvious to me that a backup of a healthy person is more
reliable than any kind of suspension of a dead or dying person,
especially an accident victim (which is going to be pretty much the
only cause of death by then).
 
Disk repair software is popular because people don't want to re-enter
(or lose) their data since their last backup.  But when disk repair
fails, the backup is used. People don't put their disk on the shelf to
wait for future technology to recover their data.
 
Similarly, medical technology will attempt to repair injury or
disease. Such attempts might even include *short-term* suspension
while, for example, a new body is cloned.  But when medical technology
fails, people will be glad to give up a year (or less) of memories in
exchange for reliable recovery.  No rational person will be suspended
*indefinitely* waiting for future technological developments.
 
Backup/restore technology may not be impervious to your fiendish,
unlikely accident; but most such scenarios also affect the viability
of doing a suspension. e.g. Global Thermonuclear War
 
Note that I'm not proposing that suspensions will be banned.  So if
anybody wants one they can probably get one.  I doubt if enough will
want one that a suspension organization would be profitable (unless we
just use the same backup procedure we use on healthy people).

--
 (Edgar W. Swank)
SPECTROX SYSTEMS +1.408.252.1005  Silicon Valley, Ca

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