From: Hal Finney (hal@finney.org)
Date: Tue Jul 09 2002 - 16:08:53 MDT
Here is the information about tonight's Crossfire from the CNN web site:
> Baseball legend Ted Williams passed away last week but a family feud
> over what should happen to his remains has sparked a heated debate over
> the science of cryonics. Could freezing Williams' body allow him to be
> revived and brought back to life or are companies providing these services
> just offering false hope? Is there any sound science supporting putting
> your loved ones on ice or is it merely wishful thinking? A bioethicist
> and a representative of a cryonics firm go head-to-head. Then, President
> Bush took his case against corporate abuse to Wall Street today. Did he
> go far enough in cracking down on CEOs and accounting practices or did
> his proposals fall short? Can anything bring back confidence in the
> markets? Two congressmen debate the politics of the recent economic
> scandals and where the blame should fall.
Sounds like Max is a stand-in for the "representative of a cryonics firm".
Actually he should be much more effective, as a philosopher who supports
the concept rather than a businessman who might appear to be motivated
by personal profit.
I found more information on Moreno, the bioethicist Max will be debating.
He has an online column at abcnews.com on bioethics issues, and he makes
frequent appearances on the news and talk shows. Generally he strikes
me as very fair and balanced in the articles by him that I have read.
No doubt on Crossfire he will be expected to be more assertive and
controversial.
One article I read by Moreno expressed discomfort with his role as an
"ethics expert". What exactly qualifies someone to be an expert on right
and wrong? Isn't that the hardest problem that we all face in life?
Who gave him a certificate of wisdom? Moreno also acknowledged that
American culture supports and respects the iconclast, the individual
who goes his own way in opposition to conventional social views. The
bioethics process involves seeking consensus, and this inherently leaves
out those individuals who march to a different drummer.
I would hope, therefore, that Moreno would be open to arguments based
on individual choice. He's not a scientist so he is not qualified to
say that cryonics won't work. But if he wants to say that society has
the right to limit what people do with their bodies when they die, a
good counter would be that this should be an individual choice as long
as basic health and sanitation issues are dealt with.
Hal
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 09:15:16 MST