9 replies to this topic

[Cyberbrain]

When people think of cryonics, they think about dead bodies being frozen in giant fridges
to be revived in the far future by hypothetical future technologies.

In other words, they view cryonics as a crazy sci fi endeavor for a quest to immortality.

This is not the image cryonics should have. For two reasons. One is that few people would
ever consider becoming immortal. Viewing cryonics as a means to life extension creates
imo a negative vibe. And two, cryonics imo isn't the science of life extension to begin with!

It's the science of preservation. Not revival as far as I know. And it should be viewed as
such. It should be seen as an art or method of preserving your self after death. Just as
people buy air tight sealed coffins to preserve the dead once they are buried so should
people cryopreserve themselves or loved ones.

While all of us here support cryonics purely for the reason that it might give us a chance
to life again in the future, that should not be the main image it has though. It should
be viewed as an art to preservation or as a means of respecting the dead just like burial or
cremation is. It should become a realistic alternative to burial and cremation. If a means
to revival are ever discovered that should just be a positive add on, but not the main
reason why average Joe should sign up for it.

Seeing cryonics as a path to immortality or as a means to "see the future" just makes too
many people see it as science fiction. Something that is highly unatractive because it is
too far fetched, controversial and just unrealistic to current day norms and memes.

[niner]

If you're trying to get people to pony up a hundred grand for a suspension, I think you will get more takers with the possibility of seeing the future than a promise of a nicely preserved frozen corpse.

[Cyberbrain]

Yes I agree, but if more people sign up and if more research is done, the price will dramatically decrease. But to begin I'm not actually talking about convincing people to sign up per say. Rather to ulter the image cryonics has on society. Cryonics is almost like a taboo due to its controversy. I'm proposing that we get rid of that controversy by changing the nature that cryonics is used for.

[Luna]

Preserve you loved ones! only about 200,000$ ^^

People seem to care more about money than life.. losing life is so normal for people!

I don't think that you can give cryonics a different image.. why go through all this trouble if not in hope to revive someone? there are other ways to preserve a body just for the view of it looking preserved.

Cryonics is in hope to survive.. but no one ever seen anything alive wakes up!
It will be more convincing when we revive an animal like a dog, monkey and even more - a human!

Edited by Winterbreeze, 07 May 2009 - 04:57 AM.

[Cyberbrain]

I don't think that you can give cryonics a different image.. why go through all this trouble if not in hope to revive someone? there are other ways to preserve a body just for the view of it looking preserved.

Cryonics is in hope to survive.. but no one ever seen anything alive wakes up!
It will be more convincing when we revive an animal like a dog, monkey and even more - a human!

Exactly! And the only way to increase our own chance of survival through cryonics if we ever opt for it, is to get more people interested in it ... but for different reasons.

You know better then anyone else that if you go up to a person they'll think you're crazy if you begin talking about immortality. In order to get more people on our side we'll have to play a different game. We'll have to present our ideas in a different way.

It will be more convincing when we revive an animal like a dog, monkey and even more - a human!

True, but that could be in 50 years.

[bacopa]

Winter Breeze I agree with everything you said. We need proof first before more people will buy into it. I wish people didn't accept death so easily. I mean even my dad complained that it was just too expensive for him. But I was like dad this is your life which is infinitely more important than money!

[Luna]

Actually my friends sometimes like it when I speak about immortality ^^

That's how I got my boyfriend! I seemed interesting to him ^^
But when going to the masses.. we need to represent it differently, if I'd make a TV advertisement then I'd point more about the aspects of life the person wants to keep and hold on to, rather than the mysteries of the future.

"Imagine a world where you can stand next to your grand children and race them in the park"
"Where you can be there for your grand grand children when they get married.."
"Where your physical health is as of a 20 years old"

Things like that!
People look on "NOW", not on tomorrow.
Let them keep the now then, rather then scaring them with the unknowns of tomorrow.

[drus]

i dont think cryonics (as it is practised today) will ever be fully accepted by the mainstream, but not to worry, thats how it always is when it comes to visionary ideas at first. just count yourself fortunate that you are one of the few that have the foresight to see the possibility that cryonics represents. most people cant see past the dogmatic narrow view of the status quo.

[DJS]

Besides from the obvious fact that cryonics violates deeply entrenched culture norms/rituals concerning the disposal of corpses it also has another dynamic going against it.

When you're young (and healthy) you can acquire a cryonics policy indirectly via life insurance for approximately $50-$60/month (including membership fees). However young people generally operate under the assumption that they have their whole lives in front of them. Buying life insurance or making plans for one's death is the last thing on a young persons mind. Hence, only the most hardcore actually get a cryo policy when their young.

When you're old you can't go the life insurance route so you have to pay for the entire (very expensive) cryo policy upfront. Many individuals simply don't have that amount of money lying around. And for those who do, I'm sure they feel a great deal of pressure to "not be selfish" and leave their children the maximum possible inheritance.

Edited by DJS, 15 May 2009 - 05:04 AM.

[Luke Parrish]

The trouble is that death is so emotional in nature that people can't stand to have it uncertain. They either pretend that it is a good or acceptable thing (many secular humanists) or pretend that it doesn't actually happen (religious afterlife theories).

To be a life-extensionist you have to reject both of these approaches and be willing to deal with the idea that death is not good, but that it is permanent when it happens. It is a mixture of idealism and maturity that a lot of people have a hard time with.