 wildcat says: "Why the longevity boom will make us sorry to be alive" a must read. Though I fail to agree with many of the premises of this article, the critical views it presents are important and the issues need be taken into consideration seriously People were not meant to live forever. "By definition," says Aubrey de Grey, the Cambridge geneticist, "you live with longevity for a very long time."Does everyone want to live to be 100 or more years old? Well, maybe. People were not meant to live forever.BGM, can you please explain the word "meant" in your comment. I'll try. I think the way our consciousness is constructed prohibits long term "use" (for lack of a better word). I'm sure some people would be capable of living a meaningful and enjoyable existence for hundreds of years, but not the majority. I see most people falling into depression or insanity or both. I do not think our minds "desire" to witness the horrors beset on the world daily, or the monotony of things, for as long as our bodies can sustain them. Ignorance is indeed bliss. interesting, I, on the other hand think exactly the opposite, namely ,that our consciousness is built for long term contemplation of the infinite. I am quite certain that our consciousness as humans evolves as we speak, our capacity for learning and enjoying the experience of mutual sharing in knowledge has increased exponentially, in the last decades or so. monotony? where? monotony? where?LOL! I knew you'd ask me that. I mean both the monotony of the routine (bath, brushing teeth, etc.) and in the sense of "the more things change, the more they stay the same." I, on the other hand think exactly the opposite,Maybe as time goes on, my view will become the minority, but it will still include me. I do not want immortality. well, I don't know about immortality, though I believe it is approaching. what I do know is that our world and our times is and are surprisingly exciting and revealing, especially with regard to what we are and what we are becoming. to explore that we need time, lots and lots of time, immortality (or longevity) in this respect is simply the manner by which we extend the time we have for exploration.. dont you want time enough to read all those wonderful books and to visit all those wonderful places.. wonder, asks for time, so yes i am positive, we need to extend our lives somehow.. Where would be the joy of reading or doing something new. If you knew you could live forever you could just say, oh I'll read that twenty years from now and I'll go there in fifty, Where is the mystery and excitement that is life as we know it now? ah! tanyamm, i truly do not understand the point you are making, is there more mystery to life because it is short? is there more excitement because we know we will end, sooner or later? why wouldn't you read the book you wish to read now if you knew you could live forever? yes of course you could just say.. i'll get there when i get there but why would you? as i see it, nothing truly changes, (on a personal level i mean)if and when we will conquer aging, but the disappearance of the 'end of the road' sign. as i see it, nothing truly changes, (on a personal level i mean)if and when we will conquer aging, but the disappearance of the 'end of the road' sign.Where will we put everyone?  space, the final frontier..  space, the final frontierWell, that changes everything! Sign me up.  Live for the moment. If we could live forever we'd probably fall into the old "there's always tomorrow". That book might not get read, not because you're dead but because ther's always something better. "We're going to have a very public debate about whether this will be covered by insurance,"It seems to me insurance companies will have more to gain. The longer people are around, the more premiums they will collect. As the science advances, these treatment will become cheaper. Maybe as time goes on, my view will become the minority, but it will still include me. I do not want immortality.I share this view. However, I do believe the human body is designed to live much longer than it does and I think the potential for a healthier state of being in one's 90s, 100s, 110s, or older is a good thing. Lastly, there will never be such a thing as "overpopulation". Personally, I would not want to live forever mainly because of the points I made above.Besides, people in my family tend to live a long time anyway. Both of my grandmothers were in their ninties. My one grandmother would very probably have lived longer had the doctors believed her that there was something wrong with her heart. Ah, Earthy eternity Wildcat. Indeed, it can be inspiring to some what we might accomplish. On the other hand, some people are reckless enough even with the knowlege that they are not immortal, but I suppose one could say they are simply "living on the edge" knowing that they only go around once. Would these people be less reckless knowing life in prision meant forever?? And then there are some insufferable bastards that I can't stomach 5 minutes with; forget eternity It is such a pro's and con's game isn't it  Normal people would rather live than die, but the pro-death element comes in when you look at 'how' you live. Living long and in misery is certainly nobody would look forward to. Thus death becomes the vehicle to resolve the situation... in most cases anyway. I just hope I make it long enough to see a decent film version of "The Hobbit"! That depends on how well they manage to do Watchmen. If they can pull it off - perhaps they can do the Hobbit as well. willhelm, can you explain what you mean by "Lastly, there will never be such a thing as "overpopulation"."? One problem I see with extended age is that humanity may stagnate as older generations are no longer dying off to allow the ideas of newer generations to grow. As an example, what state would the US be in today if all the people who thought there was nothing wrong with slavery were still alive? I like the idea of extended life, but I do worry that a common characteristic of humanity is that people do hold onto outdated and antiquated ideals to the point dishonestly ignoring contradicting information to their beliefs. Younger generations are not biased with a lifetime of beliefs/thoug... |
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