Cryonics is a huge scam!!

by mār Enlil

 

Human cryopreservation, known as cryonics, is a process of preserving a person at extremely low temperatures in the hope that future scientific advances will make it possible to "revive" them.

 

Let’s not mince words: cryonics is a massive scam! It is a scientifically unverifiable promise sold as a service, even though no technology exists to "wake up" someone who has been frozen. It is based entirely on futuristic speculation. Cryonics promises, "We’ll bring you back to life once science has advanced in the future," yet there is no proof, no technique, no track record of success, and no guarantee. You pay to be frozen. Period.

 

Cryonics presents major problems. For one thing, cells burst as ice forms. The brain suffers irreversible damage. Synaptic structures—and thus memory and personality—are destroyed. We do not know how to "repair" a dead body, let alone a destroyed brain. We do not know how to "reconstruct" a person from a damaged brain. Simply put, we do not even know how to "resurrect" someone.

 

Cryonics companies do not promise resurrection; they only promise to preserve the body under the best possible conditions. They are selling a storage service, not a return to life. After all, these are businesses, and like any business, they can go bankrupt and shut down. They are under no obligation to maintain preservation indefinitely. 

 

This process relies entirely on electricity. The tanks must be kept at -196°C using liquid nitrogen. This nitrogen requires production, transport, replenishment, and monitoring. If the power fails, pumps and sensors stop working, halting nitrogen production. Consequently, the tank slowly warms up, leading to the thawing of the body—and the total destruction of its tissues.

 

I wondered how these companies are funded. They operate through financial foundations, supported by members paying various types of subscription fees or making occasional donations. These foundations are fragile; they rely on investments that can plummet in value, on irregular donations, and on the economic survival of the company itself. There is no guarantee that a fund established in 2025 will still exist in 2150.

 

Cryonics also depends on stability. Society must remain stable for decades, if not centuries. The company must not disappear but continue to exist. Infrastructure must remain intact. It is a wild gamble. A single collapse—even a partial one—and all the bodies are lost: be it due to a missile strike, fire, power outage, bankruptcy or financial trouble, or simply a loss of public interest (remember, it is the public that provides the funding).

 

Philosophically, cryonics is a technological fantasy that presupposes a future that is stable, wealthy, peaceful, and advanced—and one that cares enough to resurrect strangers who have been dead for two centuries. It is a wager on a future that exists only in transhumanist propaganda. Above all, cryonics reveals a belief in "technological solutionism"—the idea that technology will inevitably provide the answer. That is not the case. Stop believing that technology will solve all our problems.

 

Another philosophical issue is the confusion between preserving the body and preserving the person. As previously mentioned, the synaptic structure is destroyed, taking memory and personality with it. Even if the body were reanimated, it would not regain its former memories or personality. If my body lacks my memories and personality, is it still me? Or is it someone else inhabiting my old body? Something to ponder.

 

Is it a scam? Scientifically, yes, because they are selling an illusion rooted in the fear of death. Technically, no, because they do not promise resurrection or immortality. In reality, you are paying to be frozen, not to live again in the future.