alborzMon, Jun 30, 2008 When Xarene puts it as simply as "if there were a choice to take an immortal life, or die," I find it hard not to take pause.
What would I do? I must say, I'd probably take death. But why? As soon as I type it, I regret my decision. And yet I'm afraid I can't jump whole-heartedly behind the other option either.
The thing is, the option doesn't exist and indeed is far from it. We are a long way from "death or immortality." There are several decades, centuries or even millennia of 150, 200, 500 and 1000 year olds before that question can be posed and by then, it will be in an entirely different context - as the Appleyard article and Spaceweaver suggest.
In short, I am personally not ready to make decisions on immortality, since I am a product of our current cultural norms. However the trick is to stay open to changes in those norms. So, if you were to ask me whether we should continue to research how to live healthier and longer, my answer would be yes. As we achieve longer and longer lives, and approach immortality, our culture will sort itself out and keep up with our medical capabilities. Until then, I'm all for working so 100 year-olds have more fulfilling, active and enjoyable lives.
(That being said, I found the article extremely interesting and thought provoking. Thanks for the post.)
When Xarene puts it as simply as "if there were a choice to take an immortal life, or die," I find it hard not to take pause.
What would I do? I must say, I'd probably take death. But why? As soon as I type it, I regret my decision. And yet I'm afraid I can't jump whole-heartedly behind the other option either.
The thing is, the option doesn't exist and indeed is far from it. We are a long way from "death or immortality." There are several decades, centuries or even millennia of 150, 200, 500 and 1000 year olds before that question can be posed and by then, it will be in an entirely different context - as the Appleyard article and Spaceweaver suggest.
In short, I am personally not ready to make decisions on immortality, since I am a product of our current cultural norms. However the trick is to stay open to changes in those norms. So, if you were to ask me whether we should continue to research how to live healthier and longer, my answer would be yes. As we achieve longer and longer lives, and approach immortality, our culture will sort itself out and keep up with our medical capabilities. Until then, I'm all for working so 100 year-olds have more fulfilling, active and enjoyable lives.
(That being said, I found the article extremely interesting and thought provoking. Thanks for the post.)