X-Message-Number: 3194
From:  (Thomas Donaldson)
Subject: CRYONICS: more on Hayflick's book
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 1994 20:51:45 -0700 (PDT)

Still more on Hayflick:

Yes, Bob, Hayflick's book is a load of dreck.

To me, though, it does show something more, merely by existing: it is now 
1994. Serious experiments to cure genetic diseases (such as cystic fibrosis)
have already begun. It is likely that we will acquire a lot more knowledge
of the human genone in (compared to history) short order. And yet Perfesser
Hayflick believes that changing our lifespan is WRONG.

The fact that there are still so few cryonicists and so many who are not
should be sobering. Not a cause for despair, but certainly a cause for 
considerable thought about the reasons why. Hayflick (and I've noticed other
gerontologists with the same attitude, too) doesn't think we should DO
anything about our aging. Nor do most people.

Anyone who wants immortality (or even any approach to it) MUST understand the
extent of passive opposition to it. We really cannot afford any assumption
that Science will come to our rescue. Cryonicists are going to have to do 
all the work, not just for suspension but in prolonging lifespans too.

This bears, of course, on estimates for just how long it will take us to
attain these things. I have consistently given long estimates, 200 years or
so. Those estimates come not simply from the science and engineering which
must be done, but also from the dumb passivity on this entire question 
shown by 99.99999% of the human race. And anyone who thinks about this
problem (the dumb passivity) should, ideally, ask themselves what they can
do to move things along --- even if its only contributing a little of 
their spare money, rather than sending it off to all the political parties
and standard charities we see all around us.

Hayflick's book is telling us something that merits our attention --- not
by its content, but by its simple EXISTENCE.

			Long long life,

				Thomas Donaldson

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