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 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1403