X-Message-Number: 5258 Date: 25 Nov 95 09:56:12 EST From: "Kent, Saul" <> Subject: The Danger Of Mortalists -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: The Danger Of Mortalists Date: 24-Nov-95 at 05:32 From: Kent, Saul, 71043,1120 To: Cryonet,Internet: Marvin Minsky asks if people who are resigned to die might be "dangerous" because they feel "they do not have much to lose"? My answer is yes. In my opinion, the greatest danger to the world, has been (and continues to be) the tremendous power wielded by world "leaders" who are dying, have little time left to live, and who have no hope whatever of survival. I believe that the achievement of a radically extended lifespan with no absolute limits on the length of one's life (physical immor- tality) will, eventually, make the world (and the universe) a much safer place to live in. I also believe that the transition between a mortalist and immortalist society--which we are in the early stages of--will be filled with great risks and dangers, probably exceeding that of a static mortalist society. However, I feel that the greatest danger by far is to be a member of a static mortalist society, which condemns you to spending the greater part of eternity dead. ---Saul Kent Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=5258