Letters to the Editor To the Editor: him. Oddly, both authors share one article and byline: Thomas Donaldson. s the Hitchhiker’s Guide Your readers may have noticed certain to the Galaxy suggests, sharp disagreements in Cryonics (2nd Qtr. —K. Eric Drexler A 1998). “Don’t Panic.” Despite the In that issue, Author 1 calls for further Thomas Donaldson replies: title of this issue’s feature story, study of how freezing damage could be “The Failure of Cryonics,” I repaired by nanomedical technologies. He It seems to me that my statements are don’t believe that cryonics has notes that this effort “...need not actually quoted out of context, and in many cases solve [the problem of inferring neural con- context is important. failed and I don’t believe that nectivity] in practice,” which would be be- First of all, there is an issue of what it will fail. yond current technological abilities, and “nanotechnology” is to include. If Why am I printing this ar- asks instead for scenarios that start with nanotechnology means the manipulation of ticle then? Because I do be- “the damage that really occurs, then specify matter on a molecular scale, chemists have lieve that the cryonics com- the biochemicals or other concrete items” now done that for over a century, and their enabling the required inference. abilities to do so have increased a great munity holds valid opinions Author 2, in contrast, argues that “only deal. Biochemists have come on the scene besides my own. As I prom- solving the problem theoretically would be and proceeded to manipulate those chemi- ised from my first issue, Cry- cheating,” and asks not for specifications, cals which play a major role in our own onics is aimed at all cryonicists, but for “experiments” in this area. He criti- chemistry — and in many ways, since that not just at Alcor’s directors, cizes those who “believe we need take no chemistry is quite complex, have moved special effort to improve our cryopre- very far. For instance, it’s commonplace to members, or magazine editors. servation methods” in order to achieve sus- use modified viruses as tools, and our use Almost by definition, pension reversible with future technologies, of these tools has increased in sophistica- cryonicists are independent and ridicules this and associated technical tion. thinkers; if they are to make views as being essentially religious. The day will come when we will de- the most of this trait, they need Undaunted by this attack, Author 1 sign bacteria, also, and use them as tools notes the view “that nanotechnology will too. And building on that, we will design as much information as pos- provide, someday, a solution even for those entire creatures, again to manipulate the sible. frozen with our current primitive methods,” biochemicals of human beings. I’m pleased to note that in and concurs: “If nanotechnology includes There are some who want to limit the last few months the readers all the different methods we use now and nanotechnology to only particular methods. of Cryonics have conveyed an may use in the future to manipulate matter They argue that those methods will give increasing number of their “in- on molecular scales, I would certainly them great power over matter; at present agree.” their arguments are theoretical alone, while dependent thoughts” to me. In ridiculing assorted ideas regarding various other scientists have proceeded to While I haven’t yet received the future, Author 2 writes “Rather than get their hands dirty and produce some- the rich cross-section of ideas God we have Nanotechnology, which will thing that will actually work and do some- that I might want, I have re- put us into Heaven. All the nations will live thing. Certainly this does not save the world, ceived more letters than I can at peace with one another for 1000 years, but a relatively simple application, such as followed by the end of the world...” Per- a modified virus, is still a good tool. And publish in existing magazine haps some actual, non-straw person has ad- while I am optimistic that our understand- space. If you sent me some- vanced this notion, or perhaps the nano- ing and control of the world will increase to thing but don’t find it in this critic, Author 2, is merely attacking some a level at which we’ll know how to repair issue, please forgive me; some- imaginary nano-crazy, Author 3, in an at- damage to cryonics patients, I doubt that tempt to discredit the nano-optimist, Au- any single research direction will allow us times I will print a letter just thor 1. to do that. After all, biotechnologists have because it fills the right num- I wish the best of luck to these warring run into lots of unexpected problems even ber of column-inches. authors in sorting out their conflicts, and while modifying viruses; I doubt that we hope that Author 1 ultimately wins the war can deal with such problems purely theo- of ideas — he fights fair, and I agree with retically, no matter what our idea of 2 Cryonics • 3rd Qtr, 1998 nanotechnology may be. have a vested interest in avoiding personal Second, I have noted a kind of argu- Sirs: obliteration. But would they work together ment which brings in nanotechnology (the marketing cryonics brochures? I doubt it. unspecified kind) to claim that repair will In a recent issue of Cryonics, Mr. Thomas Mr. Donaldson rightly portrays that as a become possible, but never examines what Donaldson gave a good book a bad review. poor argument, and wrongly portrays it as is now known about memory or the work- The book was The Physics Of Immortality the only argument. A weak argument for a ings of our brain. It is one thing to be able to by Professor Frank Tipler, and Mr. position doesn’t invalidate that position. The analyze the brain of someone who is healthy Donaldon’s discomforts with it — well, world is round, even if I assert that it got and in full working condition, and then seemed to me not only to have missed the that way because Santa’s Elves rounded off (say) be able to duplicate it (if that is what point, but to have given poor expression to the corners with sandpaper. I myself would you want), and quite another thing to exam- Mr. Tipler’s views. In essence, Tipler’s ar- argue that an all-knowing entity would in ine the brain of someone who was poorly gument is that, at some point in the future, a fact be loving and merciful simply because frozen 10 years ago, and claim that computing entity will be created (some knowledge implies empathy: to know and nanotechnology will tell us just how to re- penultimate Windows upgrade no doubt) not to experience is not to know. We step pair that brain. The first may very well be with such capacity that it will be able not on ants because we do not know what it’s possible; the second requires some detailed only to compute the molecular pattern of like to be crushed under a shoe fifty times confrontation with the condition of that brain every human being that ever existed (or our height; we eat hamburgers because we and similarly detailed knowledge of how ever could), but also that of all possible do not know what it’s like to be pole-axed, brains and memory work. Merely bringing beings, all possible events, and all possible chopped apart, and fed into a meat grinder. nanotechnology into the argument tells us universes. This computer will thus know If we really experienced such surreal oblit- nothing about the condition of that patient’s everything that it is possible to know, pre- eration — and if (like our projected brain. We have no logical reason to believe sumably including how to do whatever it supercomputer) we could easily replace that that he or she is repairable unless we also might wish to do. By definition, then, it agony with paradisial joy — well, we would. use ideas from neuroscience. For all we would be ‘all-knowing,’ and hence ‘all-pow- I certainly would. After all, if punching you know, this patient might have been totally erful’ as well. (Hence the ‘physics’ behind in the face breaks my nose, I won’t punch destroyed. Mr. Tipler’s immortality — he believes that you. If feeding you sweets and cake de- I describe this argument not because I some 80 billion years from now the Big lights my palate, I’ll feed you sweets and believe that many of our patients cannot be Crunch will squash the current universe cake. If we must fully experience another’s repaired, but because it commits a logical into a single point, an event releasing so experiences, we’d rather have them experi- error, and I do not believe that fallacious much energy his projected supercomputer ence beatific ecstasy, rather than the loneli- arguments will do anything to help cryon- will have oomph to spare for whipping up ness, brevity, and horror that is all too often ics. such trivial miracles as a new Heaven and the human condition. The alternative is mas- Thirdly, as many cryonicists (I hope) Earth). The least of its abilities would be ochism, and that is not a quality you’re have observed, human beings and other ani- the capacity to resurrect us all into a VR likely to find in a God, much less in a mals have abilities for self-repair which even paradise beyond imagining with the merest supercomputer to end all supercomputers.