X-Message-Number: 22930
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 11:55:58 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: various

Re Jerry Searcy's libertarian rant, I hope everyone realizes
that his views are backed with solid experience. He worked as
a government employee for many years, as I recall.

Re bioethicists, there have always been influential people
who retard progress by exacerbating fear. One of my main
disputes with the extropians is that they have underrated
this kind of retro force in society. As a tech journalist, I
interviewed Arthur Caplan (one of the first bioethicists, and
still one of the most widely quoted) and found him a
depressingly persuasive person. Unfortunately there are few
scientists who have taken as much trouble to learn the art of
public persuasion.

As for the seemingly implausible idea that people would
prefer death "right to the last moment," it happens all the
time. To take two examples whom I knew personally, Isaac
Asimov chose to die. There were no last-minute recantations
in favor of cryonics, so far as I am aware. And my own father
felt the same way.

Lastly, this from Flavonoid:

> Also in that (golden) vein, it will be interesting to see who the Alcor
> Board has picked as its next President.  Will they have found someone to
> steer a straight and steady course into the future, or will they have caved
> in to the pressures from certain wealthied influences, and thereby add
> further dysfunction to an already unstable organization?

The reference to "wealthied influences" implies board member
Saul Kent (although if I am wrong, I am sure Flavonoid will
correct me). Now, where in the cryonics archives have we seen
this same bias toward the same person expressed previously by
anonymous posters who are oddly well informed?

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