X-Message-Number: 5924 From: (Thomas Donaldson) Subject: Well, to Mr. Sharman Date: Tue, 12 Mar 1996 23:35:34 -0800 (PST) Greetings: My response was not directed only at you but at many comments from others on uk.legal. Every one of the points made was directed at one or another negative comment about cryonics. And as I recall my posting, I did not specifically mention your name. If you are the only UK lawyer who has posted on cryonics, then I apologize. I will add, though, that calling a posting "evangelical" does not constitute any kind of argument about its truth or falsity. The only way to deal with truth or falsity is to examine what was said. If you like big brouhahas with lots of name-calling, then you miss my purpose entirely. I will however make some specific comments. If you believe that any cryonics group is fraudulent, then you are welcome to investigate them. In fact, they will probably provide you will whatever information you ask, on their procedures, their recruitment, and documentation of freezing, their agreements with members for suspension, and on and on. In fact, every group I know has willingly taken visitors on tours of their facility. Have you ever actually READ a cryonic suspension agreement? As for your frequent statements of disbelief, I will say this. First, I do not believe that people have a right to their own opinion on any matter at all. What they have a right to is not to be FORCIBLY required to change their opinion. Physical or police force is not argument about truth and falsity. Laws forbidding a belief and its promulgation are not arguments, they are force; and to those devoted to seeing truth, they suggest most of all that the forbidden belief must have many merits for its opponents to be reduced to using force against it. Nor for that matter does the fact that we are in a (very small minority) and you are in the BIG majority with your belief mean anything at all for the truth of what you believe. Truth cannot be decided by majority vote. It can only be decided by carefully weighing the arguments involved. I do not remember whether it was you or someone else who mentioned the opinions of the British cryobiologist Pegg: you should remember that truth is not a matter of authority, either. If you state that you do not believe that revival of those suspended now can ever become possible, you should be prepared to argue for your belief and consider the arguments of those who argue against it. Every time you simply repeat your disbelief, you step down one more rung on the ladder of intelligence. In doing so, you present no arguments for our consideration but merely show that you do not understand. Have you ever read any biological science at all? Any biochemistry? Any chemistry? Have you ever read any physics? Astronomy? How can you believe that we will be convinced at all by YOUR disbelief when we are not bothered that Pegg also disbelieves? Long long life, Thomas Donaldson PS: Yes, we lost the case. Ironically, I survived. I remain glad that the case was brought, and glad that I survived. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=5924