I don't agree with 21stCH, as a former cryonicist. I'm currently a reincarnationist but that's covered in other posts here. I understand the monist materialist cryonics position however and I get what 21stCH is saying about dying sooner is better since deterioration slow leaves the brain in worse preservable state. That's a twisted argument in my view but I'll work on this some other time.
A corollary in my current frame of mind is to avoid "blocking the exits" as EWRussel says books I quote from in this blog. What he means is don't over-medicalized-machinize the prolongation of an obviously deteriorating terminal painful condition. I have a favorite movie "Brains" on DVD, a b-grade horror show that deals with a man who saves his wife's head, keeping it alive. This would be an example of over-mechanized life-extension.
In another lifetime, I really liked the idea of providing for isolated heads if that's what it came to but I now believe the brain is an antenna, not a container for personality and memory. If it DID "contain" personality and memory, the problem with isolating and robotizing the head for a "full body transplant" or "partial cyborg body" with "human head" is cost. I have trouble keeping up with my HOUSE costs for maintenance let alone a robot body.
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