X-Message-Number: 1566 Date: 09 Jan 93 22:57:28 EST From: Charles Platt <> Subject: CRYONICS Why live forever? To: Kevin Brown Garret Smyth asks for a 30-second sound-bite explaining why he wants to "live forever." My answer would be as follows: ------------------ Cryonicists do not want to live forever. True immortality is a religious concept which seems implausible in a universe full of unexpected threats and potential disasters. Rather, cryonicists want to live for AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. There is nothing unusual in this. People who take vitamins or wear seat belts when they drive their cars are also trying to live longer, in their own way. The difference is that cryonicists are more serious about it, and try harder. They are willing to take a little extra trouble and pay a little extra money to secure themselves the chance of a lot of extra life. ----------------- Steve Harris has written a very good piece on the inadvisability of using the word "immortality" in conjunction with cryonics. He posted the text here on the net, and I have been careful to avoid the I-word (or use it in quote marks) ever since. Unfortunately, the editors at Omni have no such compunctions, which is why the cryonics contest ended up being called an immortality contest. Distribution: Kevin Brown >INTERNET: Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1566