Few if any cronicisits believe that “immortality is virtually certain”, and no cryonics organization promises any particular result (much less “everything”). The hallmarks of religion (dogma, moral code, tradition, etc.) are simply not part of cryonics, and, with few exceptions, cryonicist simply sign-up and go on with their lives, rather than losing “all our present state, And relegate to worlds yet distant our repose”.

Cryonicists do, indeed, look at astonishing scientific and technological progress such as the Wright brothers to Neil Armstrong, antibiotics, artificial hearts, the Internet, gene therapy, etc., with encouragement. A bigger problem with Michael’s commentary is that it fails to address at least two larger issues with which cryonicits must deal: (1) In current and future social and political environments, can cryonics organizations get it’s “patients” from now to then (i.e., maintain them is suspended state until “reanimation” is practical)? And (2) will one want to “live” in an unknown future world that could be anything from utopia to one in which you could be a slave, a scientific freak show, or a disembodied brain used for some unknown purpose, etc.

These are the issues about which I would like to see the kind of thoughtful, non-prejudicial discussion of which Michael Shermer is usually a part. For to quote Carl Sagan, one of Michael’s (and my) heroes, “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.”

Ben Best actually refutes very well Michael Shermer’s rather unscientific derision of cryonics and if “your Michael” is so unsupportive – I am not sure if I were you I would be linking the two of you. Especially if you are in favor of the right of those to choose Cryonics.
With frienes like these!

I support the view that cryonics should be an end of life option–to me it doesn’t matter either way, it will either work or not and I get to donate my body to science either way http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/preserve-the-right-of-those-who-are-dying-to-choose-cryonics

Shermer’s points about the limitations and the psychology of the cryonics movement go completely unaddressed. Really, outbursts like this seem to push his points because they wholly ignore the actual criticism. That, indeed, is a rhetorical choice that can be easily associated with apologists and ideologues.

http://www.benbest.com/cryonics/cryonics.html

Strawberries (and mammalian tissues) are not turned to
mush by freezing because water expands and crystallizes
inside the cells. Water crystallizes in the extracellular
space because more nucleators are found extracellularly.
As water crystallizes in the extracellular space, the
extracellular salt concentration increases causing cells
to lose water osmotically and shrink. Ultimately the cell
membranes are broken by crushing from extracellular ice
and/or high extracellular salt concentration.

The fact that Shermer does not know *why* freezing
strawberries turns them to mush is both an indicator of
his scientific ignorance and of his willingness to
pompously pose as an oracle of scientific authority
on the basis of his intuition rather than science.

Shermer has also unscientifically chosen to
criticize cryonics without first informing himself on
the subject — comparable to his ignorant speculation
about why freezing turns strawberries to mush. Cryonics
organizations use vitrification perfusion before
cooling to cryogenic temperatures. With good brain
perfusion, vitrification can reduce ice formation to
negligible amounts.

The careful reader will notice that Shermer does not
present anything other than the ill-conceived strawberry
argument as a scientific reason why cryonics cannot
work. All of the rest of what Shermer says is nonscientific,
and involves a considerable amount of name-calling:
“blindly optimistic faith”, “promises everything but
delivers nothing”, and “exceptionally unlikely” to work.
These are not arguments, they are unsupported assertions.
A scientist would recognize that.

In the space provided for “website” in the comments
form I have provided a link to the cryonics section of
my website. Those really interested in investigating
the science and technology behind cryonics should
look there.