X-Message-Number: 974
Date: 10 Jul 92 16:03:43 EDT
From: Garret Smyth <>
Subject: CRYONICS Immortality and  Luddites

A) 
I must agree with Ralph Merkle about the use of the "i" word. 
Essentially it is not true, and it will do cryonics no good in the long
run to promulgate untruths.

B)
I'm afraid that machines are quite likely to take over or at least
try, because at some point we're going to have machines producing
machines. However well we design them random errors will occur. If
these are harmful to the machine it will just fail to work, but if
useful it will be continued. Biologists call this evolution; don't say
it can't happen. I'm sure the dinosaurs thought it wouldn't happen
either. 
Then there's the twisted human mind. Someone might deliberately design
a resentful machine. In fact, to a lesser degree its already happened
(in software). People have deliberately sat down to produce programs
that reproduce, and wipe hard disks on, say, Michaelangelo's birthday. 
The motivation seems purely that of causing the greatest harm to the
greatest number.

	Garret


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