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Eugen Leitl will speak at Transvision 2010 on October 23, 2010, in the session between 5pm and 7:30pm CET (live-streamed in Teleplace, 8am-10:30am PST, 11am-1:30pm EST, 4pm-6:30pm UK).
CRYONICS: Understanding why it failed
Eugen Leitl
Abstract: Cryonics is one of the great transformative ideas in human history, on par with the invention of agriculture, the industrial revolution, or evolutionary theory. Fundamentally, there are two kinds of new ideas; incremental ideas that advance our technology and scientific understanding gradually, and “paradigm changing” ideas that overturn the whole social structure, from morals through commerce. Examples of paradigm changing ideas are the Copernican system as opposed to the Ptolemaic, earth-centred view of the solar system in astronomy, and germ theory as opposed to Vitalism in biology.
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Because of the profoundly socially disruptive character of cryonics (and for that matter, Transhumanism), the only way these ideas can ultimately succeed in a time frame sufficiently short to save our lives is by a relentless insurgency; the idea that cryonics was just an extension of medicine and is compatible with religion and existing social and political institutions, while superficially satisfying, is both mistaken and bound to fail.
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Thus, the core problem in cryonics is the absence of a philosophical and moral basis for cryonics and the accompanying ethics and dogma required to enforce it. The Future Squatters who have come to dominate contemporary cryonics are not merely parasites content to sit and wait until robots show up at their doors with immortality on a silver platter, all too often they are actively contemptuous and dismissive of the (fewer and fewer) people working hard to build a practical, sustainable and robust cryonics that withstand the tests of time and deliver its patients to a future they have created; a future not only technologically capable of restoring them to life; but morally and financially impelled to do so, as well.
Eugen Leitl is a long-time hard-science driver of the "mind uploading" concepts that are crucial components of Advancing Substrate-Independent Minds (ASIM). He has been a core member of the early community that was known as the Mind Uploading Research Group (MURG), and is still a passionate supporter of whole brain emulation and the ASIM community. Eugen Leitl is a member of the experts group that was convened at Oxford University in 2007 to create a first roadmap toward whole brain emulation.
To attend Transvision 2010 in Milan, Italy in real life (IRL), visit the registration and logistics pages: http://transvision2010.wordpress.com/registration/ and http://transvision2010.wordpress.com/logistics/
Seating for virtual attendance through Teleplace teleXLR8 is arranged by Giulio Prisco. If you do not yet have an account the contact Giulio Prisco at giulio@gmail.com to gain access.
Article announcing the talk: http://transvision2010.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/transvision-2010-presentation-by-eugen-leitl/
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