Greetings and welcome to the Home Page of the Immortalist Society!! The Immortalist Society is an organization that is dedicated to the concept of cryonics. For more detailed information about cryonics and related topics, click on one of the links at the bottom of the page which can be quickly accessed by clicking here. For more general information, continue to read this page!

General Information About Cryonics:

Cryonics is an idea that can be traced back largely to the efforts of a man by the name of Robert Ettinger. Mr. Ettinger published his seminal book about the subject in the 1960's. It was entitled The Prospect of Immortality. In this book, Mr. Ettinger outlined the concept in the following words:

"Most of us now living have a chance for personal, physical immortality.

This remarkable proposition--which may soon become a pivot of personal and national life--is easily understood by joining one established fact to one reasonable assumption.

The fact: At very low temperatures it is possible, right now, to preserve dead people with essentially no deterioration, indefinitely. (Details and references will be supplied).

The assumption: If civilization endures, medical science should eventually be able to repair almost any damage to the human body, including freezing damage and senile debility or other cause of death. (Definite reasons for such optimism will be given)."

With these intriguing and stirring words, Robert Ettinger effectively fully launched the field of cryonics. Organizations were formed to help change the theory into reality. Today, several decades later, actual cryonics facilities  and organizations exist for the purpose of helping to carry out this revolutionary concept.

The Immortalist Society:

The Immortalist Society is an organization dedicated to helping carry out Robert Ettinger's world-changing concept. It began its existence as the Cryonics Society of Michigan, which was one of the first cryonics organizations formed. It was originally intended as an organization to provide a practical program for preparing individuals to be placed at ultra low temperatures and then storing individuals at those temperatures. Down through the years, however, its mission was altered. Now its goal is to  serve as  a source of education and research. While originally named the Cryonics Society of Michigan, it later changed its name to the Cryonics Association. This was in order to make clear the view that the organization was not confined in its mission geographically just to the Michigan region, but was interested in promoting cryonics on a world-wide basis. Later the name was changed to the Immortalist Society, in part to coincide with the title of Robert Ettinger's first book on the subject. 

Immortalist Society Educational and Research Work:

The Immortalist Society carries out education primarily in the form of the publication of a magazine Long Life. Experimental work has recently been carried out through contract with an Oregon company. This contract has an emphasis on research that is directly related to cryonics. A more recent development is the approval of the Immortalist Society Board of Directors to begin raising funds for an Organ Cryopreservation Prize.

 It should be noted by the reader that contributions to the Immortalist Society to help further its goals are tax deductible under the federal tax code. 

Long Life Magazine:

The primary means of educating the public about cryonics by the Immortalist Society comes through its magazine Long Life. The motto of the magazine is "Longevity Through Technology" and it tries to act as a source of information on just that. Not only cryonics but other topics relevant to trying to live longer and healthier are covered. The activities of individuals and some organizations throughout cryonics are covered as well. 

Immortalist Society Website:

The other primary means of educating the public is through this website. The Internet has made it possible for millions of individuals to be exposed directly to a concept and to allow them to make ready inquires about any topic. Just as important, it allows individuals to make up their own mind about topics unfiltered by anyone else. We invite you to explore the exciting world of cryonics both here and elsewhere on the "World Wide Web" and, more importantly, to get personally involved in this historic and ultimately, we believe, world changing idea.

Immortalist Society Research:

One of the basic interests of the Immortalist Society is the carrying out of research that will be beneficial in helping individuals who undergo cryonic procedures. The Organ Cryopreservation Prize is an example of this. Also, at present an agreement between the Immortalist Society and Advanced Neural Biosciences, an Oregon based company, is in place which has resulted in interesting and useful findings applicable to individuals who wish to carry out the concept of cryonics. 

Brief Information About Robert Ettinger:

As mentioned above, Robert Ettinger was the central figure in the development of cryonics and in the formation of the Cryonics Society of Michigan which, ultimately, became the Immortalist Society. Mr. Ettinger was a unique and talented individual whose intelligence and integrity were readily noticeable by anyone who spent time around him. Born on December 4th, 1918 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Mr. Ettinger served in the United States Army in World War II, being wounded in combat while serving as a Second Lieutenant in Europe. Due to his injuries, Mr. Ettinger had to undergo a long recovery period and he used this time to good purposes, continuing to educate himself while he recovered. 

An initial piece of writing Mr. Ettinger did with the general theme of cryonics was in a science fiction story in the March 1948 edition of the magazine Startling Stories. The article was called The Penultimate Trump. In 1962 Mr. Ettinger published a preliminary version of The Prospect of Immortality which resulted in enough interest that, in 1964, the book was published as a Doubleday hardcover and became an offering of the Book of the Month Club. Mr. Ettinger continued to work tirelessly on behalf of the concept of cryonics for the rest of his life. In July of 2011, Mr. Ettinger underwent the latest procedures available to the Cryonics Institute in Clinton Township, Michigan and was placed in a cryostat in their facility.

Cryobiology:

The field of cryobiology, which may generally be thought of as the study of the effects of low temperatures on biological organisms and systems, is obviously directly relevant in the pursuit of cryonics. Cryonicists, since the inception of their efforts, have looked at the scientific literature and experimental evidence in this interesting and wide ranging field for guidance as to how to best go about carrying out the intriguing concept Robert Ettinger proposed. Today, individuals with scientific training and backgrounds who are involved in the cryonics community, continue to read and study the literature for information and results available to cryonicists through the outstanding work carried on by scientists who have dedicated themselves to the study of cryobiology.

Nanotechnology:

Nanotechnology may be thought of as the science that attempts to deal with the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular scale. This science is very diverse but it offers a clear concept for dealing with the problem of the revival, cure, and rejuvenation of individuals who have undergone the procedures involved in cryonics. Noted individuals such as K. Eric Drexler and Ralph Merkle have written extensively about both nanotechnology and about its use in the process of cryonics. The Immortalist Society urges you to check on the Internet about the work and writings of these two outstanding individuals. 

Links on this website:

Below is a Listing Of The General Contents Of The Latest Long Life Magazine Issue: (Click On The Link Above To Access The Magazine Itself--Note: Adobe Reader or another PDF reader already installed on your computer is needed)

*CI Executive's Report* *2024 Annual Meeting Schedules & Info* *Vote! Vote! Vote!* *Cryoprotectant Research* *Sell Your Life Insurance?* *Longevity Plan A*  *2023 Annual Assessment of CI* *Final Thoughts--The Will to Live*

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