X-Message-Number: 20756 Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 06:12:39 -0500 (EST) From: Dan Hitt <> Subject: Money for something (20738) Hi Yvan, Thanks for posting message 20738 and related ones about wealth and ideas. Your earlier parable made your point vividly, and there certainly are plenty of people who inherit a bundle and waste it. I guess they're the origin of the `shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves in four generations' saying. But are examples in the other direction as well (e.g. Lord Rayleigh). And implementing a system in which wealth cannot be inherited might have other consequences---if people cannot spend their assets as they choose, including wasting them as they choose, then it's not so clear who would support new and initially unpopular ideas such as cryonics or, say, brain readers. I do hope you're right about some of the nouveau riche financing space development, and i hope that they've learned from the examples of the many unsuccessful (for whatever reasons) earlier space companies. You're much more in touch with that world than i am (does Rand S still post here?). And with you i hope that some will finance life extension research as well. But whether they do or not, i think each one of us has a contribution to make. And i think it's a good sign that so many cryonetters (including you, of course) really are doing something. dan Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=20756