X-Message-Number: 19913
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 09:46:45 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #19900 - #19908

More for Bob Ettinger:

I say this with partial seriousness. Suppose that we find, on studying
how minds work, that we can find the situations which maximize our
total satisfaction by solving a polynomial equation. The differences
may not change our total satisfaction, but may turn out to be quite
profound in other ways. As for instance, choice of cryonics over
choice of some other activity.

If we use the image of polynomial equations, we notice one other
issue: there are local maxima, perhaps many of them, and (if it
has more than 1 variable) they may go off to +infinity in one
direction and -infinity in another.

It seems to me that you have not specified exactly enough just
how we are to find a maximum... if there IS one rather than the
equation just going to infinity in one or another direction.

		Best wishes and long long life for all,

			Thomas Donaldson

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