X-Message-Number: 1403
Date: Mon, 7 Dec 92 01:31:28 CST
From: Brian Wowk <>
Subject: CRYONICS: environmentalists

Charles Platt:
 
> Fundamentally, it seems to me, environmentalists and 
> cryonicists are likely to be motivated by a deep appreciation 
> for the value of life. 
 
        On the contrary, you will find that the core motivation of most 
"environmentalists" is hatred of life.  Find me someone who professes ardent 
concern for the disruption of ecosystems, and the extinction of species, and 
I will almost always show you someone who hates technology, capitalism, and 
individual freedom.  For such people, environmentalism is a means, not an 
end; environmentalism is an excuse for forcefully suppressing those greedy 
businessmen who (God darn it) just keep raising people's standards of living. 
 
        You think I'm kidding?  I challenge anyone to take a sampling of 
opinion about cryonics and life extension within the ranks of Greenpeace or 
the Sierra Club.  You will find hostility the likes of which you have never 
seen before.  The reason is simple: concern for the well-being of species 
(i.e. collectives) is strongly anti-correlated with concern for individuals.  
A brilliant expose of these emotions can be found in the essay, "The Anti-
Industrial Revolution", by Ayn Rand, which is contained in the anthology, 
"The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution."
 
        In short, the environmental movement is a very poor place to direct 
cryonics marketing.  The libertarian/objectivist/technophile (note the 
absence of capitalization) groups have been, and will continue to be, our 
most fertile ground.      
 
                                                 --- Brian Wowk

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