X-Message-Number: 22586
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
Subject: funeral directors
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 11:07:52 +0100

I think it is in error to suggest that funeral directors have any interest
in destroying the cryonics movement.

The motivations of any profession are not planned by a single individual or
individuals in meetings private or public. The motivations of professions
evolve in just the same way the apparent motivations of species as a whole.
The motivations of all species is survival of the species by survival of the
fittest individuals, so as to improve the species. The motivations of all
professions is to ensure the survival of the profession by maximising its
power base and the income of the profession as a whole (ie the sum of its
individual practitioners' incomes). [for further expansion of this, please
see Dawkins - the Selfish Gene]

Considering now the funeral directors as a profession -- their power base
and their incomes are set for substantial increase if the practise of
cryonics comes widespread.

Lawyers and regulators also stand to gain more income if they don't stamp
out cryonics, but milk it for fees.

Individuals *within* any profession are quite different. They may stand to
gain publicity or income by attacking anything, but they are only
individuals, not the whole profession. To take an extreme example, if an
individual seeks notoriety, good or bad, then becoming a serial killer is
one way to get it.

Take a less extreme example:  Someone trying to stamp out any beneficial
medical procedure, or inflict suffering in the name of medicine, gets known.
Who hasn't heard of Dr Mengele? But who does know the names of the no doubt
many physicians who practise medicine tirelessly in general practise and are
selfless idealists  on behalf of their patients?

-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz:  http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including
Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley
Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy,  Nomad .. and
more

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