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Ideational immortality is the next best thing to physical immortality.

July 15 2001 at 8:21 AM
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Response to Mr. Kostadinova's Multi-Media Biographic Web Page

 
Ideational immortality is the next best thing to physical immortality, for an individual, especially if the ideation produced by the individual contributed something to the benefit of mankind- a legacy for posterity that raised the dignity of man and promoted man's survival as a species and his increasing command over the universe.

Ideational immortality is best executed, as a project, by focusing on specific formatted goals. The first goal I would place before Elizabeth Kostadinova would be to write a biography of her father using the forum I'll set up.

There is a new type of "printer" that is able to publish book runs a lot more easily than in the past. It may revolutionize the entire publishing industry. Once her father's biography is written out sufficiently, and edited, she may be interested in taking advantage of this new form of publishing. If she does this, she can then make her father's biography available on an internet site dedicated to making self-published autobiographies and biographies available.

Ideational immortality is a concept that is fully recognized and understood in our civilization but is somewhat ridiculed when applied to the "average person" because it is percieved that the "average person"'s ideas are not of such importance as to be rendered immortal. I would argue with this point.

Ideational immortality ought to be an important aim of every civilized human being-- and in fact IS an aim of every civilized human being-- by definition! In this sense, physical immortality can be seen as a VERY good way to general ideational immortality! Physical immortality, by itSELF, denuded of ideational immortality as a goal, becomes the subject, often of criticism because it's seen as selfish and doesn't speak to the civilization as a whole. I would argue with that, but it certainly is acceptable to me that anyone who aspires to physical immortality ought also to aspire to ideational immortality-- This is my preferred "mix" of motives.

Where the liklihood of physical immortality through cryonic suspension becomes impossible because unique brain structure has been destroyed, -- to the EXTENT to which it's been destroyed, is the extent to which ideational immortality (through a well written biography, perhaps published and marketed) becomes the "ethic" by which ANY sort of immortality can be achieved.

Any offer made to Elizabeth Kostadinova for preserving physical remains of her father, if it is to be ethical, must include these points:


1. Cryonics is about unique brain structure-- and her father's brain structure has liquified so there is no unique structure.

2. The next best thing to preserve is ideation of her father. This make writing a biography as soon as possible more important than any efforts at saving cell samples or tissue.



 
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