X-Message-Number: 13604
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 08:18:22 -0600
From: Fred Chamberlain <>
Subject: Brook Norton's comments on Nanotech Repair

Date:    4/20/2000
From:    Fred Chamberlain
Re:        Brook Norton's comments on Nanotech Repair

Brook says: "But what if nanotech is unable to patch together all of the
freezing-damaged neurons and instead we find that it's easier to construct new
neurons that mimic the damaged ones? And let's say this is the case for 50% of
my brain. Now am I the same person or am I half a copy? "

(my reply)

Interestingly, these are questions we pose in great detail, in Alcor's
"LifePact" self-interview outline, used for making camcorder recordings of
one's memories, ideas and preferences.  Each person needs to express his views
of such matters.

For myself, the answer is that if such procedures are commonly used to repair
large portions of brains damaged in accidents, in the future, by the
mainstream
medical establishment, I would not reject such repairs to restore me from
cryonic suspension.  If I had concerns, I would name persons I respected,
who I
thought were unlikely to (all) have died or have been suspended, to make such
determinations on my behalf, in the spirit of delegating decision making given
to medical surrogates today.

What do you do if you wake up and find that everyone, virtually everyone, has
switched from "biobrain" to "hyperbrain"?  In that case, you'd better check
your own head to see if you are carrying an identity module yourself.  If this
possibility concerns you, then I suggest your only alternative is to clearly
state in a LifePact preference statement that you "wouldn't want that done to
you".

Consider that if such a wish were respected, in the case hypothesized, the
question is then, "Might you wake up as someone whose processes of thought
were
only one thousandth of those around you?"

Will there be colonies of such people, better satisfied with their
reanimations
if they are a small collective who are at least as they once were?  Perhaps! 
The bottom line is, if you have preferences, you need to express them in a
concrete way, and see that they are archived as such with your suspension
records.  And, if you express strong preferences for modes of reanimation
which
are suboptimum, are you going to leave flexibility for judgements on the parts
of others, perhaps others you trust?  Or, are you going to say, "I'd rather
never wake up at all if I cannot wake up as I now envision it being
acceptable!"

Boundless Life,

Fred Chamberlain, President/CEO ()
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Non-profit cryonic suspension services since 1972.
7895 E. Acoma Dr., Suite 110, Scottsdale AZ 85260-6916
Phone (602) 922-9013  (800) 367-2228   FAX (602) 922-9027
 for general requests
<http://www.alcor.org/>http://www.alcor.org

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