Do You Want to Live Forever?

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You know they aren't actually talking about living forever right guys?

The idea is that they would be able to slow the aging process of vital organs and at this point expand your life to something like 150. Maybe eventually 1000 but it would require you keep throwing money at it.

I also have to imagine that would call for an overhaul of SS, Medicare etc,

And it doesn't just make you immortal, its not a Captain America machine, you can still be killed in a car accident, shot etc. Plus your still going to always look 50-60 whatever you start getting this done at. And your going to continue to progress to looking 70, just keep feeling 50-60 and it'll take more like 30 years instead of 10.

I personally still think it's kinda stupid, you would have to begin limiting births and the like.

But I also bet if you go back to the 1400s and tell them you can live to be 80 on average some as old as over 100, they'd laugh and call it witchcraft.
 
Pretty sure we all understood that 80 posts ago. :lol The discussion moved past that, you see, into a more existential direction. :lecture
 
The concept of living to 120 or 150 is so mindboggling stupid that its hard to fathom it.

People are already living way beyond their mental ability and physical mobility...not to mention their bank accounts.

If we want to protect life, how about figuring out how to prevent diseases that children are affected by. How about figuring out a better system of adoption so that people don't abort. How about trying to prevent youth from dying of drugs or basic stupidity?

Instead of trying to extend life out at the twilight moments for cynical old people who have already contributed their highest utility to society, why not figure out ways to make sure that the brightness that is young life isn't snuffed out too soon.

The whole concept is just sickening.

Even if one doesn't believe in the afterlife, there is the legacy of your descendants to consider. Do you really want to burden the future generations everything that comes from the previous generations living too long.

Natural resources-exponentially depleted
Garbage and waste-exponentially increased
Job competition-exponentially increased
Food supply
Access to healthcare
Living space

Really, I think you'd have mass suicide by the young who realize that they will never financially or socially be able to unhinge themselves from their aging predecessors. Basically the youth would become slaves to the old because the old would hold all the property, all the wealth, all the jobs, everything.

Of course, we are all speaking theoretically as there is simply no history of longevity to fall back on for examples, but I don't think the idea of long life means that we will be beyond our prime longer. I would think that it means the aging process has been slowed or stopped and all terminal desease has been erradicated (effectively answering your concerns about keeping the young alive as opposed to the old). So those living longer (again, theoretically) would be in their prime for longer periods.

I don't think you'd need population control. And I'd be violently opposed to it.

LOL...I think it is a good thing we will never find out because I wonder if the band of population control rebels would be eliminated pretty quickly either by conflict or by a change of mindset after witnessing the reality of the issue.

It's a false alternative to say they must live for each other, or live for themselves at the expense of each other.

Also, the fact that supply is not limitless will control population growth naturally. It already does. Price increases act to prevent shortages. That's not to say that something couldn't be figured out so as to produce more from less, but the point is that you won't have a population problem if you can't tangibly feed all those people. Nature is self-regulating.


And the limited supply controlling population is a cruel thought. It seems to me that would require starvation because it seems to me that humans will not go "Wait...before I have unprotected sex...I need to consider whether there are resources to feed the life I might create". Mostly...the reasons for protected sex are more like "I'd do her...but I don't want to get stuck with her forever, and I don't want to pay child support to her for 18 years, so I better be careful".

Procreation is far too strong an instint for that. The most educated of the humans can overcome that issue...but the others will easily make up for the kids the educated are choosing not to have.

Evolution might straighten that out...but if we are talking extreme longevity of humans...evolution would have to speed up its game because it would have to make the change in about a single generation.

There is also the argument that humans have overcome the food necessity issue so far (for the most part) and are likely to continue that. But nothing is without limit and eventually, humans would find the Earth's limit for sustainable numbers.

And one other thing...price increases are OK as a short-term speed bump for food shortages. But in the long term (which becomes a MUCH larger issue with wonton reproduction of mostly ignorant, selfish immortals) it will fail in about 3.8 seconds (relatively speaking).

And I want to touch on another aspect. It seems to me that the more people you have, the more cruelty there is between them. And I believe THAT needs to be considered.

This actually brings up another issue that I find to be fascinating. There seem to be some people who are terrified of population control. What is so horrible about it?
 
Pretty sure we all understood that 80 posts ago. :lol The discussion moved past that, you see, into a more existential direction. :lecture

I should have figured as much.

I know personally, I don't want to live forever but if I could look like 40 or so and live to be 150, I wouldn't mind.
 
This actually brings up another issue that I find to be fascinating. There seem to be some people who are terrified of population control. What is so horrible about it?

Population control is like gun control. The people who are going to abuse the system are going to abuse it regardless. The people who are responsible enough to own a gun or have a child and who are capable to use a gun or raise a child in a positive manner will be the ones that follow the law.

Some single woman with 2 kids from different fathers will continue to have kids in that situation. And more than likely those children will end up being just like momma and in the end they'll all be burdens on society.

Then you have some successful middle class family with a mother and father, good grandparents, and know how to teach their children right and wrong and how to be successful and offer improvements to society as they grow older will be restricted to 1 kid and because they are good people they'll probably follow the law.

Eventually for every 1 educated person you'll have 10 idiots. Some will say thats how it should be, but the problem is that those 10 idiots easily outvote the 1 educated person.

I'm a supporter of democracy, but it only works when the people voting are relatively equally intellegent and informed. But I digress.
 
You know they aren't actually talking about living forever right guys?

The idea is that they would be able to slow the aging process of vital organs and at this point expand your life to something like 150. Maybe eventually 1000 but it would require you keep throwing money at it.

better throw thy money over this...
tumblr_llmk1zQb781qetolfo1_500.gif


...i feel younger already.:lol
 
Of course, we are all speaking theoretically as there is simply no history of longevity to fall back on for examples, but I don't think the idea of long life means that we will be beyond our prime longer. I would think that it means the aging process has been slowed or stopped and all terminal desease has been erradicated (effectively answering your concerns about keeping the young alive as opposed to the old). So those living longer (again, theoretically) would be in their prime for longer periods.

I'm not a doctor, so I don't know how they propose doing this, but here's the question. Assuming you can slow the aging of the heart and other organs. How do you slow the aging of the brain? And would slowing the aging of the brain be equivalent to slowing the developement of the brain? I just can't imagine being able to slow the brain's aging without also slowing down its' workings.
 
Nope. Let me die at around 100. Think that's enough life for me. If you asked me this growing up, or even a handful of years ago, I would have said I want to live forever. But as time goes on and I mature, I just don't think I could endure any more.

Only thing that sometimes bothers me is that life goes really fast. I want these years to slow down a bit, and my old age to speed up.
 
Essentially the desire to live forever is born of fear. Acceptance of the natural cycle of life is far more graceful.

I completely agree with this. Death is a part of life, w/o knowledge of our mortality we would fail to recognize the importance of the time we have. And just because you would not age or have your body shut down doesn't mean you are exempt from a traumatic death.

And to live forever, or even longer than we do now generally means that either all people are doing that which means we will run out of space even quicker, or people would not be able to have more children.'

Or if its selective, i.e. only some can afford it then you would get to enjoy seeing everyone you know die. Doesn't sound to great to me.
 
Nope. Let me die at around 100. Think that's enough life for me. If you asked me this growing up, or even a handful of years ago, I would have said I want to live forever. But as time goes on and I mature, I just don't think I could endure any more.

Only thing that sometimes bothers me is that life goes really fast. I want these years to slow down a bit, and my old age to speed up.

NO BUFFYGIRL! I WANT TO BE A VAMPYRE AND LIVE FOREVER! SO PLEASE! DO NOT STAKE ME!:lol:rotfl :D

Nick
 
If I could be a Vampire then okay, that'd be fun for a bit. But dang it, bite me at the age I am now before my wrinkles set in, etc. :lol
 
I'm not a doctor, so I don't know how they propose doing this, but here's the question. Assuming you can slow the aging of the heart and other organs. How do you slow the aging of the brain? And would slowing the aging of the brain be equivalent to slowing the developement of the brain? I just can't imagine being able to slow the brain's aging without also slowing down its' workings.

Isn't this assuming that the aging and development are the same process? I am under the assumption that they are different and separate processes. If they are the same process, then it would not be possible to extend longevity on ANY part of the body.
 
Only if I can be young forever.

Lets be honest, once you reach a certain age you are essentially just sitting around waiting to die. While extending life would be amazing, its only worth it if it is a life worth living.
 
Nope. Let me die at around 100. Think that's enough life for me. If you asked me this growing up, or even a handful of years ago, I would have said I want to live forever. But as time goes on and I mature, I just don't think I could endure any more.

Only thing that sometimes bothers me is that life goes really fast. I want these years to slow down a bit, and my old age to speed up.

:exactly::goodpost:
 
no.

i'm looking forward to being a cranky old man sitting on my front porch & yelling at kids to "GET THE HELL OFF MY LAWN"...........:cuss
 
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