X-Message-Number: 5948 From: Peter Merel <> Subject: Church of Man Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 01:08:34 +1000 (EST) Dwight Jones continues to assert that his identity is contained in his genes, and not within their expression as a phenotype. When pressed, he explains that all the information in the phenotype is parameterised by the information in the genotype, and therefore a particular phenotype is unimportant. Very well then, it follows that a particular genotype, which is nothing more than an expression of variations in the four amino bases of DNA, is parameterised by those bases, and so by Dwight's logic equally unimportant. It would therefore be sufficient for the purposes of the Church of Man to store copies of the four genetic bases, so that some future technology could use them to recapitulate DNA, and all its variations, including Dwight's genotype, and all the variations of his phenotype that it parameterises. But to continue this redaction we can observe that the four bases of DNA are simple arrangements of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen; these elements certainly parameterise organic molecules, DNA being one of many interesting variations on them. In lab experiments these elements have actually demonstrated their abilities to spontaneously construct themselves into the enzymatic building blocks of DNA. So the Church of Man need only store vials of these "essences of identity", and some future technology, or maybe just the natural course of events, will spontaneously assemble them into DNA, a variation of which will recapitulate Dwight's genotype, a variation of which will recapitulate his phenotype. And yet, no doubt by a process of profound Zen intuition, we can arrive at the conclusion that such seemingly fundamental essences are themselves inexorably parameterised by the peculiarities of physics in our universe. Thus, happily, adherents of the Church of Man will be able to preserve their essences by doing nothing at all, as these peculiarities are sufficiently common that they can hardly help but recapitulate carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen from time to time. So we poor deluded fools on Cryonet can wave Dwight and his fellow Immortal Sages a fond au revoir as they continue to wend their essential way through eternity. Qui vult decipi, decipiatur ... Peter Merel. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=5948