X-Message-Number: 20882 Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 23:11:41 -0700 From: Mike Perry <> Subject: Re: Information in the Universe Francois, #20871: >I have read about a speculation in physics that once information is created, >it can never be destroyed. As I understand it, recovery of this information, while it's supposed to be possible in principle, would require trapping all the photons that result from the information-creating process. If some of these photons get away (very easy), there's no getting them back, barring faster-than-light travel (or some other strange possibility such as the eventual, controlled collapse of the universe to bring the fugitives home again). Some also argue that black holes effectively crunch any information from anything falling into them, while I've seen arguments that maybe this isn't so either. >Still, it could mean that permanent death is ABSOLUTELY >impossible in our universe. A sufficiently advanced technology would always >be able to recover all the information defining us as individuals and use it >to perfectly recreate those individuals, even after an arbitrarly long time. >It would also make cryonics a moot point. You could, of course, recreate replicas of vanished individuals even in the absence of information about them, if you want to make enough guesses ("throws of the dice"). If we have eternity and effectively infinite space (through expansion of the universe, say), this outcome could be inevitable, even if no one is trying at all. (Random processes go on, and additional chances could be offered by parallel universes.) So the immortality of all could be guaranteed by physics. But physics won't guarantee a pleasant or convenient path thereto. Some, of course, are not happy with and reject the idea of survival through a replica, but a case can be made to the contrary. I do so in my book, *Forever for All*, but also include a chapter defending cryonics as a preferred choice. You clearly have more control over what is going on. By way of analogy, I would prefer not to be cryopreserved at all and just have aging and terminal diseases eliminated. Failing this, my second choice is cryonics. If cryonics fails, well, I can hope for eventual recreation as a replica, or some such possibility. There are many, of course--those now deceased and not preserved--for which the latter is the only hope--barring the supernatural or other such mechanism. Those still living have more options. I definitely prefer what seems the most conservative of available choices, again, cryonics over destructive processes such as burial or cremation. (Is there a good reason to feel otherwise?) Mike Perry Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=20882