X-Message-Number: 23721 Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 04:20:45 -0800 Subject: Re: Bogus choices (was Re: FDGD Plans) From: Kennita Watson <> Tim Freeman <> wrote: > I don't have a strong opinion about whether Kennita should go to FDGD, Hey -- is that allowed? ;-) > but I'd like to point out some bad reasoning here: > > "Fred C. Moulton" <> wrote: >> Message control and message presentation are critical. > > Kennita wrote: >> That may be true, but if so, I can't say that Alcor or any of >> the other cryonics organizations has done much to convince me >> that they have perfected said control or said presentation. > > I think Kennita is saying that if the choice were for Alcor to have > perfect control of their PR or for Kennita to go to FDGD, then Kennita > must go to FDGD because Alcor doesn't have perfect control of PR. > However, that's not the choice. Actually, the choice is for Alcor to have perfect control of Kennita or for Kennita to go to FDGD ;-). But that's beside the point. The word "perfected" was a not-quite-well-enough disguised lapse into a sardonic tone arising from my feeling that Alcor's PR is far less than perfect -- enough less that I feel I have significant value to add by going to FDGD. > > Talking about alternatives that involve perfection or absolutes is > generally an instance of all-or-nothing thinking. Bringing up such an > alternative just to reject it is a straw man argument. Quite true; it would be. To turn the argument around, my detractors seem to demand perfect safety, and reject my plans to go to FDGD on that basis. > >> Not that this will help, but a friend to whom I explained some of >> this tonight said "Nothing you do could be any worse than the Ted >> Williams jokes on Jay Leno -- go for it!". So much for message >> control :-) . > > Once again, the comparison here pertains to a bogus choice. The > choice isn't between Kennita going to FDGD or having more Ted Williams > jokes on Jay Leno. Actually, to the extent that the comment was meant seriously at all, it was presenting the choice between taking a risk of having Ted-williams-type jokes about "Alcor at FDGD" on Jay Leno or not. The "go for it!" was an assessment that going is worth that risk. > > The choice is that Kennita either goes to FDGD or not, and if she > goes, she has a choice about what she does there. > Which is where the message and presentation come in. I'll be continuing to solicit input on those. Stay tuned :-) . Live long and prosper, Kennita -- Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds. -- Bob Marley, "Redemption Song" Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=23721