We don't yet have the know-how to properly maintain a corpse brain': Why cryonics is a non-starter in our quest for immortality

[admin]

In a new book, renowned biologist Venki Ramakrishnan explores the reasons why we die, and discusses unproven ways people hope to cheat death, such as cryogenics.

We don't yet have the know-how to properly maintain a corpse brain': Why cryonics is a non-starter in our quest for immortality : Read more

 

[Dr Nuero]

The story really misses the point of cryonics and a very basic tenant of the scientific method. The author claims that cryonics revival is not possible and therefore it is invalid. The whole point of cryonics is that revival is not possible and we will not know the outcome for a long time or until the experiment is completed. It is as if he is dismissing a cancer research trial because cancer has not been cured yet. Very poor science on his part and sloppy research which is evident by many other verifiable falsehoods in the story.

 

[zbark]

To truly preserve everything that was "you" at any particular moment, you would need to preserve all of the synapses in your brain. This is not undoable but it is not particularly palatable and would not be reversible biologically without reconstructing you in silico or a clone...the later also unlikely and possibly needlessly intensive for the purpose. Researchers have been able to do this for decades in animal, but it requires vascular perfusion with paraformaldehyde and glutaradehyde while the heart is still beating to ensure all the microscopic nooks and crannies are pickled within seconds. Essentially you would have to kill your biological form to accomplish this. I personally don't have any issue that any faithful reconstruction of such wouldn't still be "you", at least not any less you than those natural forces which effectively make an imperfect clone of you from day to day with the passage of time do right now. The real question is for what purpose? I think we need to honestly ask ourselves what really is identity, and I think it's a lot less meaningful or more meaningful depending how you think. We probably share so much in common with other human beings that parts of our identity...and probably the most important parts...are already transcribed into the future through our children, language, ideas, etc, and that even in one lifetime our identity changes so radically that there are probably people out there who are a more faithful representation of the person you were 20 years ago than the one you are today...Ship of Theseus and all that. There may be some niche uses for such technologies, but I think in general they will be superseded by alternate ways of viewing our identity and even better ways to cement a positive influence into the future. Probably our best shot at immortality may simply to be a good person.

 

[saintpetejackboy]

This is a good article and you did a lot of amorphous connections to other data - top tier.

What I propose is that, you don't need to freeze yourself or live in the modern day. All life and existence can be recalculated from similar input parameters. Not to say this is a simulation - we had ideas like Boltzmann Brain for a very long time now - even before computers, our own organism + infinite math could resolve our immortality in some tangible way that you can't exactly write a proof against such a hypothesis - (that I know of).

There are so many ways we achieve immortality that none of them even matter. What you do here in this lifetime echoes through eternity - like it or not. So live accordingly. You don't need money or status to be resurrected - no data is ever lost and all can be recalculated from the same starting variables.

Being a robot body who lives until the end of the universe only gets you so far - there are many levels beyond that for our consciousness to expand. A whole universe is but the blink of an eye for some creatures - and nothing prevents us from also being those same beings.

You can augment. You can assimilate. You can transcend. These are all options open to you. Even if you never do anything, we will bring you back one day, exactly as you were. What you did echoes through all of eternity and can be recalculated from the data emitted by our very existence.


Do not strive for immortality for - it is inevitable.

 

[sven]

The story really misses the point of cryonics and a very basic tenant of the scientific method. The author claims that cryonics revival is not possible and therefore it is invalid. The whole point of cryonics is that revival is not possible and we will not know the outcome for a long time or until the experiment is completed. It is as if he is dismissing a cancer research trial because cancer has not been cured yet. Very poor science on his part and sloppy research which is evident by many other verifiable falsehoods in the story.

The point being that it is an industry selling people a lie. It is nothing like a cancer research trial because there is no trial. It's just freezing people with the absurd hope that the power doesn't go out and future super technology will revive them.

 

[Neal@ChurchofPerpetualLif]

I reflect on the statement by that amazing futurist, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who made so many astounding futuristic predictions which have come true, and others which once where the subjects of his insights on the future of human conditions which are now simply a fact of life, such as the technology which allows us to have global communications via cell phones.

“When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong."
― Arthur C. Clarke

I agree with Arthur C. Clarke, as he addressed cryonics specifically. We are most certainly going to discover ways to cryonically suspend and revive people someday in the future, the sooner the better.

For anyone with an open mind, more information is at www.Perpetual.Life

 

[TheBox]

In a new book, renowned biologist Venki Ramakrishnan explores the reasons why we die, and discusses unproven ways people hope to cheat death, such as cryogenics.

We don't yet have the know-how to properly maintain a corpse brain': Why cryonics is a non-starter in our quest for immortality : Read more

Immortality already exists as long as words exist because every human being is formed from letters .
When the Feral body dies that the letters occupy , the electrical energy of the body is grounded by the earth etc but the light travels across space to be conserved at the edge of space-time , becoming a part of space-time .
Inside the mind , letters are wave-functions and made of light , so in essence the letters join space-time .
I am Stephen only by label , I have a personality that is irreplaceable but Stephen will be formed many many times .

The point I am making is that people hope for mortality of the soul (personality) which is a product of letters . It is selfish for personalities to want to exist forever knowing that the earth can't keep sustaining population growth . Personalities just have to accept that they exist in letters even when the personality is gone .