[ExI] Cryonics Alexandre Erler and bad philosophy

[John Clark]

On Sun, Nov 26, 2017 at 6:27 AM, Rafal Smigrodzki <
rafal.smigrodzki at gmail.com> wrote:

​> ​
> I wonder what would it take to induce Alcor to offer ASC as an
> alternative biostasis protocol. The procedure is similar to the existing
> protocol, just a series of washout steps. No dramatic changes to existing
> equipment would be needed. Glutaraldehyde is toxic but not to the point
> where it would introduce very dangerous working conditions. Reagent cost is
> trivial.
> Why not try it on an opt-in or cost-plus basis?
>

That is a excellent question! And how can a person be rational enough to
see the advantage Cryonics  has over a procedure that burns up the
information that makes you be you or to have it be eaten by worms,
​ ​
but not be rational enough to see the advantage ASC has over ALCOR's
procedure that shrinks the brain by 50% due to osmotic dehydration?  If
there is a practical reason for being unable to do this without a
​ ​
big increase in cost I haven't heard it. The recent article in Cryonics
​ ​
by Erler
​ ​
certainly gave no such reason, all he has was vague philosophical
misgivings bases on nothing as far as I can see. And his excuse that
Alcor's method may preserve ultrastructure just as well but unlike the ASC
way we can't take clear pictures with a electron microscope because osmotic
dehydration distorts the tissue too much is nuts. If one method can make
remarkably clear electron microscope pictures and one can't because of
distortion then one preserves information better than the other.


> ​> ​
> Sure, there are folks who like the idea of direct reanimation from
> existing tissue and they might insist on keeping the old protocol
>

​I guess even some ​
cryonicist
​s ​
​​still feel the pull of superstition.


​> ​
> but why should the rest of us be tied to this technology. Ultrastructure
> after suspension is the reasonable basis for choosing one technology over
> another, and here ASC wins hands down.


YES, preservation of information is ​the ONLY thing that matters, if
Drexler type Nanotechnology has the correct information then it can bring
you back from the dead, but without that information even Nanotechnology
can't. And without Nanotechnology neither method will work.  It's as simple
as that.
 ​

​Incidentally I also put a duplicate of my first post on this topic on
Alcor's webpage on their forum, ALCOR's members might want to put in their
two cents there too: ​

http://www.alcor.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=224

​  John K Clark ​
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