X-Message-Number: 7833
From: 
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 97 14:57:25 +1000
Subject: cryonics before uploads?

Hi Thomas.

Greeting from Australia (aren't you missing it?).

In cryonet Message #7645, you wrote:

<<As for uploading yourself, I personally doubt that will become possible 
 until some time after those frozen now have been revived. My understanding
 of how brains work, particularly how memory works, have led me to that 
 conclusion. Naturally I'm happy to explain further (and give scientific
 references to the many papers which convinced me of this). >>

Considering the advances in neural networks and of interconnections
between silicon electronics and nerve cells, my feeling is that
effective repairs to parts of the brain may be acheivable within
ten to fifteen years, and that uploading will follow in a similar
time-frame.  That may sound optimistic, but electronic capabilities
have advanced rapidly (Moore's law=two years doubling in capabilities)
and I'm sure that biogical capabilities will follow a similar curve,
in line with the growth in knowledge of proteins, genetics, and 
biological mechanisms generally.  And understanding of brain pathways
and functioning is also growing rapidly, much more quickly than
is our cryonics knowledge.

OTOH, some excellent technical postings recently in cryonet have given
me some hope that cryonics might be making some progress at last.
But after two decades of seemingly very slow progress, including
(sadly) the slow funding commitment to Prometheus, I am far from
convinced that cryonics will become available before uploading.
This is not to say that we should give up on cryonics, most certainly
not.  (There will undoubtedly be spinoffs and life-saving technologies
which come from cryonic research).  But I certainly would like to
know your views on why cryonics might succeed earlier than uploading.

All the best,
Graham


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