I think there is a ton of untapped potential in emphasizing the more non-obvious paths to cryonics-positive attitudes. However one obstacle worth considering is that the reasons people are comfortable with death are likely to be the same reasons they find cryonics to be shady and uncomfortable. Consider the following articles of wisdom:
Cryonics is an open ended exploration of the future.
… Death grants “closure”, as long as we can accept it and move on with our lives.
Cryonics cleverly leverages economics and technology to escape death.
… Death is the “great leveler” that inevitably comes for rich and poor alike.
Cryonics is a heroic intervention to save lives.
… Death comes for us all without our seeking it, and by accepting it we attain inner peace.
Cryonics represents hope for a future devoid of death.
… Death has been with us from the beginning, and unites us with our ancestors.
It seems many of the things that make people feel good about cryonics are basically the things that make people feel bad about death and vice versa, depending largely on the framing of the issue and how they are willing to think about it.
It’s all in the framing. Everyone is happy to celebrate life in other contexts (i.e. when people aren’t dying from old age): they celebrate all the things you list—exploration of the future, clever technology, heroic interventions, hopes for a better world.
the problem is they don’t believe in cryonics. If people perceived cryonics, on a gut level, as having some non-negligible chance of successful revival—rather than at best a Pascal’s Bargain that any odds are better than none—then I think some of those people would be able to switch to viewing cryonics as bravely taking a risk for a chance of a better life.
There’s confirmation bias and priming, too. If the person going cryonapping acts cheerful about it, all the way through (not like the one in the OP article), he might help others feel cheerful about it as well.
I think there is a ton of untapped potential in emphasizing the more non-obvious paths to cryonics-positive attitudes. However one obstacle worth considering is that the reasons people are comfortable with death are likely to be the same reasons they find cryonics to be shady and uncomfortable. Consider the following articles of wisdom:
Cryonics is an open ended exploration of the future.
… Death grants “closure”, as long as we can accept it and move on with our lives.
Cryonics cleverly leverages economics and technology to escape death.
… Death is the “great leveler” that inevitably comes for rich and poor alike.
Cryonics is a heroic intervention to save lives.
… Death comes for us all without our seeking it, and by accepting it we attain inner peace.
Cryonics represents hope for a future devoid of death.
… Death has been with us from the beginning, and unites us with our ancestors.
It seems many of the things that make people feel good about cryonics are basically the things that make people feel bad about death and vice versa, depending largely on the framing of the issue and how they are willing to think about it.
It’s all in the framing. Everyone is happy to celebrate life in other contexts (i.e. when people aren’t dying from old age): they celebrate all the things you list—exploration of the future, clever technology, heroic interventions, hopes for a better world.
the problem is they don’t believe in cryonics. If people perceived cryonics, on a gut level, as having some non-negligible chance of successful revival—rather than at best a Pascal’s Bargain that any odds are better than none—then I think some of those people would be able to switch to viewing cryonics as bravely taking a risk for a chance of a better life.
There’s confirmation bias and priming, too. If the person going cryonapping acts cheerful about it, all the way through (not like the one in the OP article), he might help others feel cheerful about it as well.