I'm sad for him that we haven't progressed far enough to treat him. I'm glad he has a shot in the future.
Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
51–60 of 273 posts
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#52On the topic of cryopreservation, to borrow a question from Scott Aaronson [1]: have you signed up for cryopreservation? And regardless of your answer, how do you defend yourself against the charge of irrationality? On one hand, it seems like a different version of Pascal's wager - if you can afford it, the upside is potentially far more beneficial than the downside. On the other hand, well, it is crazy... I can thin…
Considering death is inevitable, cryopreservation just before you cease to function is, quite possibly, the best rational choice you can make. Of course, it's a bit selfish, as the resources you commit to it are substantial and your offspring could benefit from them. Betting your final moments on specific advances of technology is also not an easy decision. Plus, you may wake up in a world you don't like. OTOH, the o…
Exactly my thoughts.
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#53On the topic of cryopreservation, to borrow a question from Scott Aaronson [1]: have you signed up for cryopreservation? And regardless of your answer, how do you defend yourself against the charge of irrationality? On one hand, it seems like a different version of Pascal's wager - if you can afford it, the upside is potentially far more beneficial than the downside. On the other hand, well, it is crazy... I can thin…
I would argue that cryopreservation is the belief in the increasing rate of scientific progress (which can measured and proven), and that it is far more rational than the tens of millions of people who attend church every Saturday or Sunday in search of salvation for their soul. As /u/dublinben mentioned, I'd give my entire wealth to have the opportunity to live in the future.
It's not clear you understand why people go to church and what it's benefits are.
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
How does the math work for paying let's say 60 years times <$100 and cashing out $150k at the end?
I assume that your rates go up as you age and get more likely to die. In your 20's it's only covering improbably illnesses and events like car accidents. But nobody's going to extend those same rates to you once you're 85 and already had two heart attacks.
What if some improbable event happened like a major Earthquake or war or something that unexpectedly kills a lot of young people. Would the insurance company be able to pay out?
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why crazy? There's good supporting evidence for sufficient preservation of fine neural structure via vitrification. The oldest existing cryopreservation organizations have lasted 40 years since their formation as professional groups. There is no known obstacle in the laws of physics to developing molecular nanotechnology capable of restoring a cryopreserved individual: it's just a technology challenge in organization…
Who's to say that the choice to survive in the distant future is desirable? Everyone you know and love will have been long dead, and any society with both the means and will to revive you may have undesirable objectives in mind, e.g. a life of slavery or military conscription. From a global perspective, what are the potential impacts on the species of an eternal elite, obsessed with life extension, creating an ever-g…
Yeah, future may very well be worse than death, but I personally estimate the expected utility of a future life to be more than zero.
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why crazy? There's good supporting evidence for sufficient preservation of fine neural structure via vitrification. The oldest existing cryopreservation organizations have lasted 40 years since their formation as professional groups. There is no known obstacle in the laws of physics to developing molecular nanotechnology capable of restoring a cryopreserved individual: it's just a technology challenge in organization…
Who's to say that the choice to survive in the distant future is desirable? Everyone you know and love will have been long dead, and any society with both the means and will to revive you may have undesirable objectives in mind, e.g. a life of slavery or military conscription. From a global perspective, what are the potential impacts on the species of an eternal elite, obsessed with life extension, creating an ever-g…
>survival is not an obviously rational choice.
It's a reversible choice though.
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why crazy? There's good supporting evidence for sufficient preservation of fine neural structure via vitrification. The oldest existing cryopreservation organizations have lasted 40 years since their formation as professional groups. There is no known obstacle in the laws of physics to developing molecular nanotechnology capable of restoring a cryopreserved individual: it's just a technology challenge in organization…
Who's to say that the choice to survive in the distant future is desirable? Everyone you know and love will have been long dead, and any society with both the means and will to revive you may have undesirable objectives in mind, e.g. a life of slavery or military conscription. From a global perspective, what are the potential impacts on the species of an eternal elite, obsessed with life extension, creating an ever-g…
> Who's to say that the choice to survive in the distant future is desirable?
Each individual for themselves, obviously.
> Everyone you know and love will have been long dead
This obviously contradicts the original assumption that you might actually get revived. Because if you can, so can others.
> may have undesirable objectives in mind, e.g. a life of slavery or military conscription
I find it hard to believe that it will ever be cheaper to revive dead frozen humans than simply let living humans breed new humans for free. And plenty of people now living aren't even cost-competitive against the machines of 2014 or 2024, nevermind the machines of a society capable of reviving the dead. Both as a slave and as a soldier, you're likely to be horribly inadequate.
Honestly the bigger question is why the future people would bother to wake you up at all. Maybe history buffs would be happy to talk to you. Maybe the world gets so rich that a few weird enthusiasts can afford to do it on their own.
But the bottom line is that if the future turns out to be awful, you can always choose to die again. Plenty of people would be willing to have a look around first.
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, you make a contract and pay money to the company that cryopreserves you. They could screw you over after you die, but that would be bad for their reputation and they could be sued.
Not to mention that people working at Alcor are also members and believers in cryonics. They wouldn't screw you over because they wouldn't want anyone screwing them over when it's their time.
Not sure cryo-preservation employees are all "believers."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ted-williams-frozen...
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why crazy? There's good supporting evidence for sufficient preservation of fine neural structure via vitrification. The oldest existing cryopreservation organizations have lasted 40 years since their formation as professional groups. There is no known obstacle in the laws of physics to developing molecular nanotechnology capable of restoring a cryopreserved individual: it's just a technology challenge in organization…
Who's to say that the choice to survive in the distant future is desirable? Everyone you know and love will have been long dead, and any society with both the means and will to revive you may have undesirable objectives in mind, e.g. a life of slavery or military conscription. From a global perspective, what are the potential impacts on the species of an eternal elite, obsessed with life extension, creating an ever-g…
Well... Unless something prohibits the subject from self-terminating, it still beats death.
Re: Hal Finney being cryopreserved now
#60 Funny how the mind plays tricks I read that as cryptopreservation.