[extropy-chat] Re: cryonics (was: Science and Fools)

[Damien Broderick]

At 05:14 PM 3/23/2005 -0500, Jeff wrote:

>How is being cryogenically frozen and awoken in 20 years different
>being frozen and awoken after 1 day?

It's not.

>How is either different (in some
>sense that is relevant to identity considerations) from the way you
>'disappear' when you take a nap or go under anaesthesia for surgery
>and later reappear?

It's not, assuming that no disruptive intervention is required such as 
burning the frozen brain to a gas of atoms while compiling a copy across 
the room. Maybe this is a superstitious prejudice on my part--it certainly 
has *nothing* to do with dualism or souls, the customary boring retort--but 
proximate continuity with replacement (what we have now) is somehow the key.

But as you told Ben, this topic is all done-to-death-and-back-again archive 
material. I'm not interested in making a copy of it. :)

Damien Broderick