X-Message-Number: 18106
From: 
Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 01:41:11 EST
Subject: Skeptic in Scientific American.

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In the December issue of Scientific American, Michael Shermer writes the 
second part of an article on Baloney detection. He defines a value between 
science and pseudosciences for a number of things. He lists for example 
string theory as having a value of 0.7 and cryonics as 0.2. Here, 1 is mere 
science and 0 mere superstition.

The problem I see is not the pseudoscience side of cryonics, it is the fact 
of putting cryonics as a science.  See for example string theory: It is true 
(at some physical level) or false whatever we can think or do. What we can do 
is a set of experiment to prove or disprove that theory. If the theory is 
true, no action can be undertaken so that it becomes false. 

For me, cryonics is only a potential technology. It is not a science and 
never will. If we don't nothing (no experiments) it will never becomes a true 
technology, on the other hand, if we do many experiments we will succeed one 
day or another. What could be put on the Shermer's scale is not cryonics, it 
would be cryonics *and* a way to fulfil it. For example, in 1950 there could 
have been the statement: It is possible to go to the Moon and going back. To 
put it on Shermer's scale we would have to add: using balloons or using 
rockets for example. The first is mere pseudoscience, the second is perfectly 
workable technology.

Can we live again using cryonics *and* nano repair devices? That may be 
pseudoscience (or not), at least here Shermer's scale make sense. If you 
write: cryonics can't work without saying by what way it can't work, you 
assume it can't work whatever path you choose to the aim. And there are an 
infinite number of potential path, so how can you give a finite value on a 
scale for the sum of an infinite number of paths?

The only way is to make a value judgement based on religious faith: " I say 
no path can get to the cryonics objective because God will not permit it. A 
strange way to define science.

Yvan Bozzonetti.


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