DanielLC comments on The Threat of Cryonics - Less Wrong

36 Post author: lsparrish 03 August 2010 07:57PM

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Comment author: TobyBartels 04 August 2010 10:01:16PM 6 points [-]

Do you foresee, that there will be a day in your future, when you will prefer to die on that day over living to see the next one?

Yes, I think that this is quite possible. However, the reasons are, as you say below ‘the weaknesses and diseases of old age’, so they're not really relevant.

I can also easily imagine that I will never want to die. I can easily imagine that, as health care improves ahead of my aging, many of the people who are alive now will live forever, and I will also. That would be fine.

But cryonics is different. Here, you are asking me to take a break of time during which technology advances far beyond what it is today, not to live into the future one day at a time. That does not interest me.

I'm not even interested in being revived from a coma after several years, using only contemporary technology. Certainly I don't consider it worth the expense. In fact, the main reason that I don't sign up for DNR now is that I know some people who would suffer if I did not at least outlive them (plus the bother of signing up, although at least it costs nothing).

But I think that your question may be a good one to ask other people who have come to terms with death and thereby find cryonics unappealing. Ask when, after a short or long period of apparent death, they would not want to be revived. For me, that time comes when the people that I care about are no longer around and the things that interest me are no longer current. But I can imagine that some other people would realise that the answer is never and decide to sign up.

Comment author: DanielLC 05 August 2010 06:34:08AM 3 points [-]

For me, that time comes when the people that I care about are no longer around and the things that interest me are no longer current.

As long as the internet is around, you will be able to find people with your interests. It doesn't matter how outdated they are.

Besides, why not sign up for cryonics on the off chance that you will like the future? You can always change your mind. Unless they outlaw suicide, and can effectively stop it, in the future. Which doesn't seem that unlikely considering we're assuming they're willing and able to revive your body just because they can.

Comment author: TobyBartels 05 August 2010 01:33:57PM 4 points [-]

Besides, why not sign up for cryonics on the off chance that you will like the future?

Because it costs thousands of dollars (a price which reflects its cost in resources). For me, that's a large amount of money. I don't spend it on off chances.