X-Message-Number: 9354
From: Stephen Bogner <>
Subject: Re: Possible topic for discussion: growth of cryonics
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1998 08:29:37 -0700

I would also like to see more discussion about the growth rate of cryonics. 
 There ought to be a number of measures that could be extracted from 
available data (and may already have been, although I have not seen such an 
analysis).  For example, the correlation's between the growth of the 
cryonet mail list and signups or inquiries to cryonics organizations. If 
there is enough data it might even be possible to measure the 
positive/negative impact of the various flame wars that break out here from 
time to time...  It might also be interesting to try to correlate the 
growth rate over the next few years with sales figures from James 
Halperin's "The First Immortal". I have been inspired to a higher and more 
open level of participation because of this book, and perhaps a measurable 
number of others will feel the same way.

It would be particularly valuable to understand the demographics at work 
here.  When I first encountered cryonet I was encouraged by the (usually) 
intellectual and reasoned discourse, but even more so by the participation 
of people that I knew and respected from other activities and organizations 
that I had been involved with or encountered over the years.  If, as I hope 
and suspect, the demographics of the cryonics movement show that it is 
dominated (with spectacular exceptions) by people who are considered to be 
"well adjusted" "independent thinkers" - perhaps even cultural, social, and 
technical "leaders" in areas outside of cryonics - then perhaps it will be 
easier for people to accept the intellectual foundations and cultural 
legitimacy of the movement. The needs for acceptance (and the fear of 
ridicule) are extremely powerful "memetic" themes that can generate both 
motive force and inertia - sometimes with enough power to overwhelm even 
fundamental imperatives such as self preservation.  If one wants to think 
about a "calculus of motivation", then the influence of demographics on the 
momentum of the cryonics meme will clearly be a significant term in any 
relevant equation.  By paying close attention to growth rates and 
demographic trends within the cryonics movement the community ought to be 
able to discern mechanisms that it can influence that will accelerate the 
diffusion of the cryonics meme within the broader society.  This should 
feed back into the cryonics organizations in the form of increased 
participation rates.
...
Stephen Bogner, P.Eng.	    

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