This is the single consideration in the cryonics debate that I remain unconvinced of.
It seems very easy for me to imagine lots of futures that others might find worthwhile, that I would find very unpleasant. Off the top of my head: what if society is more regimented? What if one is expected to be very patriotic? What if it is a very collectivist culture? What if I still have to submit to hierarchies of one kind or another, for one reason or another? … …
Are there good reasons to believe that human life in the future will be enjoyable to me? Can I do better than beginning with a bottom line that says “The future will be pleasant”, and inventing justifications for why that’s more likely than not?
Yep. As far as I can tell a world where people can be and are being revived is almost certainly one I want to live in.
Exactly, and that’s really well stated. By being cryo-preserved, you’re self-selecting for worlds where there is a high likelihood that
(a) contracts are honored (your resources are being used to revive you, as you intended),
(b) human lives, even very different humans from long ago, are respected (otherwise why go to all the trouble of dethawing),
(c) there is advanced neurotechnology sufficient to bring people back, and humanity is still around and has learned to live with it,
and (d) society is rationalist enough not to prohibit cryonics out of fear of zombies or something.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a good filter.
Excellent observation!
This is the single consideration in the cryonics debate that I remain unconvinced of.
It seems very easy for me to imagine lots of futures that others might find worthwhile, that I would find very unpleasant. Off the top of my head: what if society is more regimented? What if one is expected to be very patriotic? What if it is a very collectivist culture? What if I still have to submit to hierarchies of one kind or another, for one reason or another? … …
Are there good reasons to believe that human life in the future will be enjoyable to me? Can I do better than beginning with a bottom line that says “The future will be pleasant”, and inventing justifications for why that’s more likely than not?