Immortality

[eagleseven]

Can you imagine the cost of healthcare then?

It would require a massive re-alignment of human society, comparable to the shift from nomadic hunters to civilized farmers.

 

[editec]

Death is just nature's way of reminding us that what we do matters.

Plan accordingly.

 

[JW Frogen]

Death is just nature's way of reminding us that what we do matters.

Plan accordingly.

And there you have it.

 

[midcan5]

Check out Nick Bostrom on topic.

Nick Bostrom's Home Page


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd9cf_vLviI]YouTube - Nick Bostrom: Humanity's biggest problems aren't what you think they are[/ame]

 

[Old Rocks]

i saw a thing on the discovery channel that said, the next life expectancy on humans is going to be a THOUSAND YEARS.....say what? yes, a thousand years....it showed how close we were to actually making that a reality....

for goodness sakes.... the world could not accommodate or support that, and they know it...so why pursue this?

I once read a science fiction story concerning a graduation party for a 90 year old man. His graduation was leaving Earth. Seems that the key to an indefinate life span was developed, with the predictable downside. So what was decided was that the Earth was the cradle of mankind, and at 90, one left the cradle. The law for one and all, no exceptions.

I imagine that we would have to do something along this line if we developed a way of creating an indefinate life span.

 

[uscitizen]

i saw a thing on the discovery channel that said, the next life expectancy on humans is going to be a THOUSAND YEARS.....say what? yes, a thousand years....it showed how close we were to actually making that a reality....

for goodness sakes.... the world could not accommodate or support that, and they know it...so why pursue this?

Does that mean you would have to be 990 years old to get medicare and SS?

 

[uscitizen]

i saw a thing on the discovery channel that said, the next life expectancy on humans is going to be a THOUSAND YEARS.....say what? yes, a thousand years....it showed how close we were to actually making that a reality....

for goodness sakes.... the world could not accommodate or support that, and they know it...so why pursue this?

I once read a science fiction story concerning a graduation party for a 90 year old man. His graduation was leaving Earth. Seems that the key to an indefinate life span was developed, with the predictable downside. So what was decided was that the Earth was the cradle of mankind, and at 90, one left the cradle. The law for one and all, no exceptions.

I imagine that we would have to do something along this line if we developed a way of creating an indefinate life span.

Just think of how much you would get to pay in taxes.

 

[Old Rocks]

Now I use the term indefinate lifespan, because no one is going to live forever. The universe will get you, eventually.

For myself, I will be 67 this year. Now it seems to me that I have only began to learn and understand a little of this magnificent universe that I live in. Maybe in 400 years I might get a little grasp on it. It is not a joke. My maternal grandfather lived to 91, and was constantly learning new things. Born in 1888, he watched the Eagle land on the moon, and described the systems to my cousin, who was an electronics tech for the FAA.

Paul asked him why he was so interested in the landing, and Grandpa looked at him in astonishment and said "Do you realize I was nearly 16 years old when the Wright Brothers flew a Kittyhawk? This is just the biggest thing that has ever happened in my life".

That is the attitude that I inherited about this life. Live and enjoy this life until you die. You only get one shot at it, and you know how it is going to end, so why not go at it and get all you can out of it?

 

[Old Rocks]

Well, for those that insist on living foolishly, whether diet or drugs, I imagine that the damage to the body would limit their lifespans. For the rest, healthcare would take on a whole new dimension.

Social Security? Perhaps what we would do is create a system where you would work so long, then have so many years off with pay. For those with wide interests and strong minds, it would mean becoming multi-skilled, in many differant fields, and would drive change even faster than today.

 

[Old Rocks]

Check out Nick Bostrom on topic.

Nick Bostrom's Home Page


YouTube - Nick Bostrom: Humanity's biggest problems aren't what you think they are

Midcan, you probably have already seen this site, but if you have not, I think that you would like it;

Anders Transhuman Page

 

[thomas78]

Wow, that's incredible! With stem cell research I'm 100 % sure that we'll be able to cure most diseases and aft that it would only be a question of time until we become immortal in the sense that we can reverse our aging processes. The 2 dominant theories on aging are basically that wast accumulates intracellularly and extracellularly and that cells are reprogrammed to die (i.e. telmomere-shortening).

I guess one would need to synthesize enzymes to convert these waste products and then genetically modify or turn on the telemerase genes.