From: Spike Jones (spike66@ibm.net)
Date: Sun Sep 19 1999 - 22:49:16 MDT
> [Zeb Haradon has] ...always thought that to withdraw an individual's choice
> to live or die is equally wrong, whether you are making them die against
> their will (as in murder) or making them live against their will (as in
> banning assisted suicide).
Ja, this one is big with me. I can imagine a situation where one is a
very strong believer in cryonics [as I am becoming every day] and is
sick with some disease that is incurable and will likely cause the loss
of some or all of the information in the brain, such as Alzhiemers or
emphasema. Under such circs, our society *should* keep its damn
laws to itself and *let that person* make her own choice, even if
that choice is to go into the tank NOW before the damage is done.
> ...The point of [Carolyn Korsmeyer's] talk was that the purpose of
> disgust (in the world) is to repel you from something, but for some reason,
> we love to see it in art, and are drawn to it...
We do sorta like to be grossed out. Look at the reaction of typical
little kids when they get squicked: ewwwww groooosss *hahahahaaa*.
Horror movies. Murder novels. Real life TV. Boxing. Yes it is curious
why that sort of thing entertains, but it does. I want to understand
*how* and *why* and is there any way to erase or over-write that
software in myself and in humanity so that our world becomes more
humane. What about after we upload, so that we really *can* modify
our thoughtspace. Would we want to? spike
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