Immortality - Living forever.
There are a few definitions of Immortality... Here's a few:-
From Wiki:-
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1. Spiritual afterlife - The belief in the immortal soul is a dogma of Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. This belief is related to the philosophy of dualism.
2. Genetic immortality. This view of immortality concentrates on leaving offspring, or immortality via evolution, which is curiously similar to Richard Dawkins' theory of the selfish gene ("you never really quite die; as long as there is some of your genetic material left behind in this world").
3. Magically immortal - Many European and Chinese alchemists were among such people. The depiction in literature of Gilgamesh was one such as this and an entire cycle, or cycles of Arthurian legend exist in the British Isles, including the Knights of the Round Table going in search for the Holy grail; supposedly, the chalice from which Jesus and his disciples drank at the Last Supper. It may also be taken to mean being invincible or unable to be killed.
4. Never dying - Some believe life extension technologies will lead to rejuvenation. Some believe cryogenics will allow the dead to be revived in a medically advanced future.
5. Atomic immortality - Your mind ceases with death. Your body decomposes. Worms eat your flesh, birds eat the worms, your family eats the birds. Your physical body goes on to be recycled throughout the rest of time. While "you" cease to exist in a living person sense, your body will be recycled until the end of the universe.
6. Quantum immortality - In the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, the wavefunction never collapses, and thus all possible outcomes of a quantum event exist simultaneously, with each event apparently spawning an entirely new universe in which a single possible outcome exists. In this physical theory, one could hypothetically live forever as there might exist a string of possible quantum outcomes in which one never dies. This theory of quantum immortality, however, is not widely regarded by the scientific community as being a verifiable or even necessarily correct offshoot of the many worlds interpretation, which itself exists as one possible interpretation of quantum mechanics among many.
7. Artificial immortality - This represents the concept of transferring one's consciousness from the brain to an alternative media providing the same functionality as the brain. Such a media may be biological or non-biological. The transference may be gradual (e.g. through cognitive prostheses) or immediate (e.g. through a brain scan).
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When I say there could be a possibility of Immortality, I don't mean right now, but may be in say 20 to 30 years... The possibilities I can envisage are as follows:-
[spoiler]1. Cloning a new body of your self with no brain inside the skull, so an empty exact clone of your self is grown, and once you die your brain is taken from your old body and placed into the MUCH young empty shell.
2. An artificial brain is made, your old brain gets scanned and the information passed to the artificial brain, the body could be mechanical or biological.
3. DNA research work out who Jelly fish revert back to their infant stage and use the same DNA within that of Humans to let us revert back to an early sage of life.
4. Scientists work out how to stop cells from dieing, and how to keep them reproducing (longer or completely).
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What makes me think the above are all possible:-
[spoiler]1. Cloning has been proven to work, the only real problem is placing a brain and connecting the nerve endings back together... I have heard scientists managed to do a head transplant from one chimp to another... The chimp took about a week or so to gain some of it's motor functions, but then it died shortly after... But it lived for some time !!!
2. With computer tech and energy techs getting smaller and better and moving forward so fast any thing is possible.
3. Jelly fish DNA was placed in a mouse to make the mouse glow, that worked... I hope the next test is to see if the mouse can revert it's self back from old age...
4. There is an illness that makes some people age faster than others... A boy of 14 looked 90... Scientists found the Gene that caused this, they think they could reverse the effects but it goes against ethics and laws that prevent them from testing the theories.[/spoiler]
If Immortality was possible, I think I would like to become immortal, but with the option to have a lethal injection should I tire of life eternal...
My favorite of the above would be that of Jelly Fish DNA... To be able to revert your self as you see fit when you see fit would be my preferred option, should you want to you could still die...
Reference:-
Jelly Fish Species I am referring to is:- Turritopsis nutricula
There are many religious arguments around this topic also...
I still cling to the idea that energy never stops to pass... So once we die I still hope our energy is released as a new life form and we continue living in some way shape or form of energy.
What do you guys think on the subject... Possible or not... and would you like to be Immortal ?
I don't think it's possible to have ETERNAL life, but there are definatly ways to extent your life. If these methods are made, I'd definatly want to become 'immortal'.
The only problem with this, is that if everyone became immortal, then our world would get much more over populated. Considering the rich would get this immortality stuff before everyone else, I wouldn't be surprised if people got violent 'cause they can't extend their life.
I think for every year of your life your working you should get your life extended by 6 months... So those out of work or taking from the system die sooner than those that are working to make a better future... You help create a better future you see more of it... ;)
Those that live longer will gain more experience... Bonus could be paid in extended life rather than money !!!
I hate the fact that most people with moral fibre work every day, yet some can cheat the system and get free handouts and not have to work, but then still get the same pension as those that worked in later life...
I think the Law's around Human life should be changed drastically.
I think if a system is supporting people on benefit that are able bodied for longer than 10 years those people then become government property... At that point should some one who is working and paying to the system become ill one of those who are owned should be harvested to make right any problems the worker has... Lungs, heart, kidney transplants etc...
Or if not taken to that extream, I think those claiming benefit that are able bodied should have to work for it, like cleaning Graffiti, cleaning streets and parks...
I also think if you commit a crime your life expectancy should be reduced by said amount for the crime rather than going to prison, so Age the criminals !!!
I think Longer life should be earned and enjoyed, too much time is spent earning money to live, it's about time we enjoyed the living we earn !!!
Well, I personally follow a religion that believes in a spirit world paradise. Although I would like to live 100 years more than I am currently going to live, and that's it. Then I'd die, being not fearful of death.
Immortality... ugh... Actually, I consider it impossible. I mean, first off we see that none of those things really worked so far so I will call that an obstacle created by God and etc. I don't really have much explanation so let's not debate on that. :D Also, the only way you could really be immortal is if you fulfilled one of those things and you didn't get into any accidents or whatever. I mean, by 1000 years, you would most likely get into one serious accident because like those people say "Oh, every 3 seconds someone dies" or something like that.
Humm to get around the accidents I suppose Starfish DNA could help regrow missing limbs... But that still leaves Drowning... But I guess we could grow gills from Fish DNA, have them behind the ears like in water world... Oh... That leaves Burning to death... Darn I don't think there are any fire proof creatures to harvest Fire proof DNA from... Guess you will have to walk around in a Fire suite... But what if a Safe falls from the sky and squashes you I hear you cry... Errr... Good point.... I guess you can stop accidents...!!!
QuoteImmortality... ugh... Actually, I consider it impossible.
But if you Follow God... is God himself not Immortal.... Are you now saying God is Impossible...?
Just messing with your head, I know what you mean... And I think the same way... May be we wont see it in our day and age, but I think science in the end will find the cure for aging and death as we know it for the few, not the many.
Living forever would be a gift for me, until all my friends died. I think i would be ok if it happened to me. Unless everyone died but me.
Immortality would only be desirable if you were invincible, and had no feeling of pain whatsoever. Eventually, the world would end, you would get destroyed in a black hole, or disintegrated entering another planets atmosphere or going into a sun, so I wouldn't do it if I could feel pain. Burning at the center of a sun for eternity doesn't seem like a gift to me.
Immortality sucks.
If you grow up and all, and can't die. You'll be 657 years old, so old you can't breathe. Half the time in the hospital. You can get pain. There'll be a knife in your stomach but you won't die, you'll have the pain forever.
Life sucks, immortality sucks more.
Edit: Those who want immortality are scared of death.
Like Voldemort
And Dumbledore.
And Harry's Uncle Johnson(yes the other uncle)
I would like immortality without aging and invincibility, because then I would just be a war god and everyone and everything would bend to my will.
your signature begs to differ.
but what'll you do just living
Now don't say "breathe" or "live". Seriously.
I would say I would not want to live forever. Oh look I got hit by a car, let's go and get another treatment that drains all my money that was meant for someone else. I like believing in the genetic immortality, it sounds good and fair. If anybody gave me a choice I would tell them to fuck off and let me do what I want, I'd rather die of old age with everyone else and not laugh at them for dying before me.
Quote from: landofshadows on September 04, 2007, 09:06:50 PM
But if you Follow God... is God himself not Immortal.... Are you now saying God is Impossible...?
Let's not turn this into a religious debate, but just to retort, God is God. He was meant to live forever, although he isn't really human so he can't really "live" except as Jesus. Humans were meant to die, as you see so often.
Immortality is impossible. Plain and simple.
But, just for argues sake, lets say it is possible. I wouldn't get it. Someone said that they would request lethal injection when you got tired of life. That wouldn't work. You're immortal. You can't die. Eventually, you would end up just going insane. And lets say you could stay whatever age you got immortality at. You would be 39 forever. I just can't find anything positive about this. Sure, you'd get to do more things here. But then everyone would be doing it also. Humans usually strive to do new and unknown things. If everyone is doing it, then its not unknown any more. It would just get boring.
Immortality wouldn't be impossible, if you could somehow freeze all your cells into a state of no deterioration, but they still functioned.
Freezing your cells is one of the worst ideas possible. Freezing anything causes it to expand and eventually burst. This damages the cells and would, if anything, shorten your life.
I don't mean freeze them using a temperature, I mean make it so they cannot move away from each other or age.
When we, die, that's it. I don't exist any more. I can see myself being older and dying naturally, and being perfectly fine with it, and not scared. I wouldn't want immortality. Perhaps maybe a life extension, but not something stupidly large.
It's weird how literally every last religious person I know (the ones who think death ISN'T the end and that whatever and so on occurs after) seem to be the people most afraid of death.
Quote from: Roph on September 10, 2007, 12:50:21 AM
When we, die, that's it. I don't exist any more. I can see myself being older and dying naturally, and being perfectly fine with it, and not scared. I wouldn't want immortality. Perhaps maybe a life extension, but not something stupidly large.
It's weird how literally every last religious person I know (the ones who think death ISN'T the end and that whatever and so on occurs after) seem to be the people most afraid of death.
Really? Then I must be a pretty fucked up Christian.
It's one of the reasons I think people want to believe in god, to justify their own existence, and give it meaning.
I wouldn't cause then you would have spent like, what, 15 years seeing the whole world, and then what? You get to watch tons of atrocities of the world and just watch it sink into even more depression and darkness. Live free fast, die hard.
Eh Immortality can be translated to a 1000 year lifespan. Back in the dark ages people only lived to be 30, now people born today will live to 100. That is considered immortality to the dark ages.
Plus Immortality was also considered one that could not die. The human body is very resiliant. People can fall from 40 feet onto rocks and still live. They can get stabbed through the heart and keep going. That might make the ignorant feel immortality is real.
Sucks to be the dark ages.
Complete and utter immortality, in a "god-like" manner of speaking, I don't think will ever happen.
Agelessness, yes.
Extremely enhanced lifespan, yes.
The ability to be destroyed, yet have your mind/brain "saved" in a sense, and put into an exact copy of your body? Some day.
I don't think we'll ever be to the point where the entire universe would explode, and Mr. Immortal would be sitting there, writhing in pain, horrifically deformed, but still alive and kicking. Immortality is only attainable in the sense that it is assisted in some form or another. A regenerating body, a "copy" of your brain/mind/memories/knowledge, agelessness, etc.
There are ways to greatly extend your lifespan now, people just generally don't do it. I think most people born today will easily live past 100 years old. And that'll only continue as time goes on.
I wouldn't mind being immortal in the sense that I described above. Of course, godlike status wouldn't hurt :3 but a strange enough entity with power/technology far exceeding the average man's could easily be thought of by the average man as "godly". Authur C. Clarke said "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Who's to say that God doesn't actually exist, but his power is simply a super-advanced technology that appears to most as "mystical". That's another debate though.
But yeah, I'd take immortality. Only if I could take others with me. Reminds me of Tuck Everlasting, or at least the small bit I remember of it. While I'd love to have the freedom to explore a plethora of things in an unlimited lifespan, it wouldn't mean much if I didn't have someone (or more than one) to experience it with.
I should note that in a sense, I am afraid of death. Or maybe afraid isn't the right word, but not looking forward to it. Of course, I believe that if I die, I wont know any better. But at the same time, if I had the ability to feel anything beyond death, I'd probably be irritated. Especially if I died soon. I'd love to see events ages into the future that no other human could dream of seeing. Experience things that no one else will experience. I understand not everyone is like this, and that's fine.
I don't think its a fear of death... More of a love of life...
I mean the way we have jumped foward in technology in the last 30 years or so, I want to see the next say 10 of those... 300 years would suite me... Turtles live that long... But I wouldn't want to age get slow, loose control of functions and memory...
Have you ever seen the show called 2057? It aired on Discovery Channel. They do say,,while providing good evidence,,that in about 50 years we will have the ability to make artificial organs, thus prolonging everyone's lives. It will probably be possible to create an artificial brain, the problem is, how do you pass all the information from a dying/dead brain to an artificial one.
If they can find a solution to THAT,,then immortaility is very well going to be possible in the near future.
I do want to live forever, I just think.... it's a curse more than a blessing, because god imagine how bored you would be.
Even now at 24 I don't nearly get as excited about things as when I was 14 and 15, and I expect my interest and zest for life to keep naturally declining.
It's not just the living forever part, you would have to have someway to desensitize certain areas of the brain to feel pleasure. Since pain is linked to pleasure ((notice how you tend to feel really good after you face a fear)), I think the only way you'd find happiness being an Immortal is if you were a person of importance that had their ass kissed a lot or like a celeb or somebody that continued to take risks or maybe some sort of military leader.
You would have to constantly test yourself to remain sane, I would imagine. Now...it's a subtle thing. It wouldn't happen overnight....but, I think the key is being an Immortal but having the same happiness as a child. *in cartman voice* Who doesn't want the innocence of a chiiiild.
I believe immortality is possible. I also believe in spirits. I believe that magical immortality is possible, as well as genetic/scientific immorality.
If I could be immortal, it would depend on my standing in the world. If I was making more and more money, then I'd want to be immortal so I could build up a sweet empire of riches.
Or if I had some cool weaponry, and was living constantly traveling on the road, or walking. That way I'd be like a lonely warrior that never dies.
Apparently immortality is possible- look at this damn thread.
Necro, lock, etc.