RAW and Cryonics

Okay, it’s nothing new yet, and other bloggers have written more interesting pieces (or at least, better informed) about it, but this post is about Robert Anton Wilson, who died 11 january. So you may accuse me of blogorrhea, it doesn’t harm me since this weblog is only meant to make a survey of what I read on Transhumanist forums anyway.

First about Wilson. For me RAW is the man who cooperated with Timothy Leary on “The Game of Life”, a remarkable book about Leary’s 8 circuit Model of Consciousness. He also advocated E-prime, space migration, intelligence increase and life extension. Unfortunately all this mixed with a new-age flavour of occultism and Zen-Buddhism.

However, his demise sprouted a small thread on the extropy-mailinglist. A beautiful poem by Nick Herbert was forwarded:

What a marvelous journey!
How we all laughed!
O such lovely companions
On this splendid old craft!
Here’s to bold Captain Wilson
Who jumped ship last night
Amused to the end
By his share of the Light!

Hail Eris! Hail Arlen! Hail Schrödinger’’s Cat
Hail Robert Anton Wilson
Wherever you’re at.

with much love
Nick Herbert
 

Did the great thinker of the future (RAW founded the Institute for the Study of the Human Future with his wife Arlen Riley Wilson) and master of “Maybe Logic” have a suspension contract with one of the providers? Unfortunately not. Wilson knew, of course, of Cryonics, since his daughter Patricia Luna is in suspension. His friend Timothy Leary also had a contract, but changed his mind. Also Robert Heinlein, the Science Fiction writer who wrote about longevity (e.g. “Methuselah’s Children”) did not arrange for Cryonic Suspension.

So, this post is also about Cryonics; last week it was 40 years ago that the first man, Dr. James Bedford was brought in suspension on 12 january 1967. It is interesting to quote Robbert Ettinger, Godfather of Cryonics, from a post to the Cryonics Institute mailinglist on 13 january 2007 when he shares his memories of this event with us.:

I assume no one has made a big deal of the Bedford anniverary because there is no history of effectiveness of such efforts. However, there may be a few latecomers who might be mildly interested in some of the background. Bedford’s freezing was primarily owing to Bob Nelson and myself. I talked him into it, over a period of time, and Nelson was the prime mover in the actual arrangements. Prehoda played a temporary part and kept the body one night in his garage. My brother Alan and I flew out for the feezing and aftermath.

Further details can be found in Bob Nelson’s book, WE FROZE THE FIRST MAN. As you know, Bedford finally found a place with Alcor.

A big publicity boost was mostly missed. Life magazine–then a leading weekly–did a multi-page feature, but the astronaut tragedy resulted in a rare split edition. Partway through the run, our story was pulled and the astronaut story substituted. The big urban centers did not get our version. Who knows what might have resulted otherwise.

Roberrt Ettinger

My stance on Cryonics is simple: it is a rational gamble. You know that you’re dead when you’re dead, but it might work when you buy a ticket in the lottery of Cryonics. So why was it so difficult to persuade Robert “Maybe Logic” -Wilson. The future is for those who prepare for it! (Robert Freitas in “Nanomedicine”).