Immortality

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Fahad Baseer on May 2, 2008 at 10:09pm

Nanotechnology will progress towards being able to cure cancer. Immortality vs reproduction is the big issue. Eventually there will be an age law. Exdeed that age and the government will kill you.........

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bill Teeter on May 4, 2008 at 1:37am

Fahad wrote:


"Nanotechnology will progress towards being able to cure cancer. Immortality vs reproduction is the big issue. Eventually there will be an age law. Exceed that age and the government will kill you."


If the Leon Kasses and Francis Fukuyamas (past or present members of President Bush's Bioethics Council) of the world get their way, they will!

**********

As Robert Ettinger, considered the father of cryonics, said, "It's no crime to be born. So why must we be given a sentence of death?

**********

Throughout human history, people were encouraged to procreate in large numbers to maintain family bloodlines and to retain property and capital in families.

Today, with the accelerating and intensifying rates of technology, extended lifespans (extra years of good health) can translate into greater economic productivity, which, in turn, would mean more tax revenue and less reliance on programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Immortality and/or expanded lifespans may result in a lesser need to procreate.

Bringing someone out of cryostasis is a linear process, whereas reproduction is exponential.
Now, how great of a degree of exponentiality involved will depend on the desires of those who are sharing the spice of life.

One may argue that extended lifespans and/or immortality would result in further overcrowding of the planet.

This argument carries no weight, as we have the technology to build underground communities.

We've been able to build mines (coal, salt, gold, etc.) for over 100 years.

Simply find the safest locations (geologically stable areas free of dangerous gases and/or earthquake threats), and build the infrastructure.

This should not be too tough of an engineering task.

Underwater habitats may be tougher, simply because of the logistics, material needed to withstand undersea pressure, and physical demands placed upon workers and residents.

Stephen Hawking argues that the best chance for humanity to survive is to colonize space (orbiting villages, lunar bases, communities on other planets and/or their moons, etc.).

The crucial issue facing us at this time is cryonics/suspended animation.

I don't consider consummation of this process a matter of if, but when, it will happen.

I an enrolling with Cryonics Institute, and, bad days aside, am doing what I can to stay in as good a physical and mental condition as possible so when life extension therapies and technologies reach the masses, I can take advantage of them.

If worse comes to worst, I'm making reservations for a cryostat, which I prefer over a diner for worms and maggots or a glorified coffee can (not my idea of Taster's Choice).

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by D on May 5, 2008 at 12:42pm

Whoa!

Well, I don't think the government would stay in power long, if they had policies like that!

If they did put an age limit on (like in Logan's Run) then that would be very bad.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by D on May 19, 2008 at 2:42pm

You hit the nail on the head. Humans need to change rather than changing the Earth.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cameron MacRostie on June 17, 2008 at 12:36pm

'Immortality' belongs to 'gods', (the concept: 'god')
and has clearly been the unconscious goal of humanity since we gained consciousness.
(look at the scripture of the major religions: 'life everlasting', 'life eternal'...)

I see true immortality or 'indestructability' coinciding with the ability to manipulate and transfer the consciousness through a series of vessels.

My emotional response is: 'Why not me! - I don't want to die!'
but then i see myself as part of the billion upon billion year tradition of 'life-sacrifice', and later 'intelligence-sacrifice' to achieve this goal.



All I hope to do is to (safely) accelerate this process, by raising awarness and destroying the complaicency with which the majority of human's live out their short lives.

▶ Reply to This