I’m a casual observer who came across this advocation of cryonics—I have no objections to the idea and it interests me on a theoretical plane.
The general impression I receive of the promotion of cryonics quite a simple and effective argument:
“Cryonics offers a non-zero possibility that you may be able to continue your existence beyond your first death, the choice of which during your first life has minimal cost or even possible benefits to yourself.”
Interestingly enough, and I quite happily mention this in good faith despite the inevitable flame risks of mentioning un-kosher topics in public (though that sort of blanket disregarding would be regrettable), this bears intriguing parallels with one suggested argument of a more metaphysical nature: substitute “belief in a higher power” for “cryonics”.
I think the other respective elements of the sentence tally—given the lack of a strict disproof of such deities, the only part I can see possible challenge is the second half, but given it has immediate lifetime wellbeing benefits to some people, I don’t see such challenges standing.
Anyway, the point I am making is that given its superficial similarity to investing an afterlife, even though I am quite friendly to the idea of cryonics (it costs little and if real has gigantic benefits to oneself) I can see why it is a hard sell to people, not because they think you are a religion but because it involves the same concepts of investment in an uncertain outcome.
Most religions I know of don’t have an “obliterate your immortal soul” option. You live eternally, pleasantly or no, whatever you do. So belief in a higher power isn’t analogous to cryonics in that way, because if cryonics works and there is no afterlife, it’s existing v. not existing, rather than heaven v. hell or cow reincarnation v. dung beetle reincarnation. Granted, fussing with the stakes like that may be a point in religion’s favor, but at that point you’ve just gotten a warmed-over Pascal’s Wager.
True, in the positive/negative dichotomy it is a Pascal’s Wager.
Probably what makes the sell harder for cryonics is that it promises not an infinitely good future but merely one of uncertain quality, though one that it is possible to hypothesise about based on well-discussed inferences from the very fact you were woken up.
As things stand right now I have to admit it’s hard to see where you would get a big jump in takeup, because it seems conceded that the science is a very long way away and thus the probability of it working will not appear to rise for a very long time, and also the impression of a future world where it does work will probably remain roughly constant for the same reason of the time gap. As these two factors seem to be the biggest factors in a decision, they seem too inert for cryogenics’ liking.
Any ideas of a “game changer” that would persuade people that it were as natural a thing to plan as making a will, buying life insurance or having a donor card?
I’m a casual observer who came across this advocation of cryonics—I have no objections to the idea and it interests me on a theoretical plane.
The general impression I receive of the promotion of cryonics quite a simple and effective argument:
“Cryonics offers a non-zero possibility that you may be able to continue your existence beyond your first death, the choice of which during your first life has minimal cost or even possible benefits to yourself.”
Interestingly enough, and I quite happily mention this in good faith despite the inevitable flame risks of mentioning un-kosher topics in public (though that sort of blanket disregarding would be regrettable), this bears intriguing parallels with one suggested argument of a more metaphysical nature: substitute “belief in a higher power” for “cryonics”.
I think the other respective elements of the sentence tally—given the lack of a strict disproof of such deities, the only part I can see possible challenge is the second half, but given it has immediate lifetime wellbeing benefits to some people, I don’t see such challenges standing.
Anyway, the point I am making is that given its superficial similarity to investing an afterlife, even though I am quite friendly to the idea of cryonics (it costs little and if real has gigantic benefits to oneself) I can see why it is a hard sell to people, not because they think you are a religion but because it involves the same concepts of investment in an uncertain outcome.
Most religions I know of don’t have an “obliterate your immortal soul” option. You live eternally, pleasantly or no, whatever you do. So belief in a higher power isn’t analogous to cryonics in that way, because if cryonics works and there is no afterlife, it’s existing v. not existing, rather than heaven v. hell or cow reincarnation v. dung beetle reincarnation. Granted, fussing with the stakes like that may be a point in religion’s favor, but at that point you’ve just gotten a warmed-over Pascal’s Wager.
True, in the positive/negative dichotomy it is a Pascal’s Wager.
Probably what makes the sell harder for cryonics is that it promises not an infinitely good future but merely one of uncertain quality, though one that it is possible to hypothesise about based on well-discussed inferences from the very fact you were woken up.
As things stand right now I have to admit it’s hard to see where you would get a big jump in takeup, because it seems conceded that the science is a very long way away and thus the probability of it working will not appear to rise for a very long time, and also the impression of a future world where it does work will probably remain roughly constant for the same reason of the time gap. As these two factors seem to be the biggest factors in a decision, they seem too inert for cryogenics’ liking.
Any ideas of a “game changer” that would persuade people that it were as natural a thing to plan as making a will, buying life insurance or having a donor card?