[ExI] The most precious essence

Gabe Waggoner lostmyelectron at protonmail.com
Sun Feb 6 14:52:50 UTC 2022


>

> On Feb 6, 2022, at 5:15 AM, Rafal Smigrodzki via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> I have been working with the law offices of Hoyt and Bryan (https://hoytbryan.com/contact-us/) to establish a Revival Trust to aid in my cryonic suspension and I'd like to share with you an executive summary of the trust that I just wrote:
>
> "I believe that the most precious essence of the good life is the cultivation and satisfying of curiosity. I am intensely curious about the future. Scientific progress offers us now options to extend the temporal reach of our curiosity beyond natural limits. I intend to use scientifically validated methods to prolong the survival of my mind and my curiosity as long as possible. For that purpose I established a contract with Alcor, a charitable organization, to preserve my brain in case of my death at low temperatures, a practice known as cryonic suspension, until technological progress allows my return to conscious experience. I am now establishing this Revival Trust to provide financial resources to aid in this process. Generally I intend for this Trust to steadily accrue value through prudent, long-term investments in order to pay for whatever must be done to increase the likelihood of my mind surviving into the far future and what has not been provided for by other mechanisms. By way of example, the Trust will if needed pay for: (1) Assisted suicide or legal action to give me access to assisted suicide in case of my impending death due to incurable disease, including dementia. (2) My upkeep while in an incapacitated state awaiting cryonic suspension, if not otherwise provided for. (3) Distributions required by law to beneficiaries during my time in cryonic suspension. (4) The process of reanimation from cryonic suspension, including reanimation by whole-brain emulation, if not provided for otherwise. (5) My upkeep and other expenses needed to return to functioning within the future society after reanimation. (6) Final distribution of the accumulated Trust value to me after my return to existence as a legally recognized person. (7) Other actions indispensable under the discretion of the serving Trustees to assure the survival of my mind into the far future, if not provided for otherwise. The above provisions extend also to the situation when instead of using cryonic suspension I decide to use other technologies to transfer my mind into the future, and such technologies may include chemopreservation, plastination, uploading through brain-machine interface and other potential future technologies provably capable of recreating my mind in the future. This Trust however will not be used for the benefit of my heirs or descendants."
>
> This is still work in progress but we hope to be finished with it in a few weeks. The Trust as whole is a big complicated legal document and it costs me a pretty penny but I think it's worth it if it makes me more likely to survive into the far future. Certainly all of you who have cryonic suspension contracts should consider establishing such trusts as well. Peggy Hoyt is very knowledgeable on this matter and she may be the only lawyer in the country who has experience in this very esoteric legal matter, so I am happy to provide her with some (unpaid, of course) advertising.
>
> --
>
> Rafal Smigrodzki, MD-PhD
> Schuyler Biotech PLLC

Hi, Rafal,

I appreciate the recommendation. As an Alcor member, I’d feel better knowing that some legal framework was in place to protect my interests.

I respectfully offer a few suggestions for clarity:

>> For that purpose I established a contract with Alcor, a charitable organization, to preserve my brain in case of my death at low temperatures, a practice known as cryonic suspension, until technological progress allows my return to conscious experience.

> I’d say “to preserve my brain at low temperatures in case of my death.” That would avoid the misplaced modifier. As written, the sentence could be taken to mean that your brain will be preserved only if your death occurs at low temperatures. Although I concede that misunderstanding is unlikely, someone with nefarious motives could conceivably try to exploit such a grammatical loophole.

>

>> (7) Other actions indispensable under the discretion of the serving Trustees to assure the survival of my mind into the far future, if not provided for otherwise.

> This is minor, but I’d say “ensure” rather than “assure.” The transitive verb assure generally means to (re)assure someone about something, whereas “ensure” means, as I believe you intend, “to make sure that.”

>

>> The above provisions extend also to the situation when instead of using cryonic suspension I decide to use other technologies to transfer my mind into the future, and such technologies may include chemopreservation, plastination, uploading through brain-machine interface and other potential future technologies provably capable of recreating my mind in the future.

> Also minor, but I’d say “re-creating” (with a hyphen) to avoid confusion (admittedly unlikely) with the verb meaning “to engage in recreation.” The love–hate relationship I have with AP style has permanently burned such nuances into my brain, for better or worse.

>

That’s all I saw. In any case, I may well contact Peggy with my own needs, so great thanks again. I always enjoy your posts.

Best wishes,

Gabe

—
Gabe Waggoner, MS, ELS
Science Writer–Editor
7318 Edmonston Rd.
College Park, MD 20740-3018
www.nasw.org/users/rgwaggoner/
gwaggoner at nasw.org
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