I’ve voted your comment up as an interesting suggestion. But I don’t think this strategy will work very well. As someone very involved in the skeptics movement, the first thing I think of when I see this sort of list is the similar lists made by the intelligent design proponents. Moreover, the list in questions seems to suffer some of the same problems- a large number of signatories are people whose expertise is in areas that are only marginally connected or not connected at all to cryonics (e.g. math, ophthalmology, astrophysics, aeronautics). This might even end up signaling in the wrong direction. If I saw this list presented as a part of an argument for cryonics I could almost see myself going and updating against simply because I expect people to present their strongest arguments.
I believe that is an accurate model of how my dad might respond, yes. Still, in combination with other arguments it might help. It is likely that letter would help convince him once he started seriously considering cryonics.
I’ve voted your comment up as an interesting suggestion. But I don’t think this strategy will work very well. As someone very involved in the skeptics movement, the first thing I think of when I see this sort of list is the similar lists made by the intelligent design proponents. Moreover, the list in questions seems to suffer some of the same problems- a large number of signatories are people whose expertise is in areas that are only marginally connected or not connected at all to cryonics (e.g. math, ophthalmology, astrophysics, aeronautics). This might even end up signaling in the wrong direction. If I saw this list presented as a part of an argument for cryonics I could almost see myself going and updating against simply because I expect people to present their strongest arguments.
I believe that is an accurate model of how my dad might respond, yes. Still, in combination with other arguments it might help. It is likely that letter would help convince him once he started seriously considering cryonics.
You could just give him the list of papers and leave out the letter.