Comments on: Dvorak Poll: If (When) Science Can Make You Live Forever, Would You Want To?

By: Animby

Animby — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:25:35 +0000

# 53 Glenn E. said, “…then drop dead totally unexpectedly. Like the way light bulbs often burn out. Flash, you’re gone.”

Not me! I want a couple of hour’s warning. Enough time to erase a particular partition on my hard drive…

By: First Man Standing

First Man Standing — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:41:11 +0000

Think #44 had it right-ish, though that still assumes seniority is the only descriminator. I’ve always liked the ‘problem’ that everyone dies, because it’s the only way the planet regularly gets rid of the most destructive people that, through their money and power, have immunized themselves against all other corrective processes. Can you imagine how much life would suck if every infamous dictator, corrupt tycoon, criminal kingpin and cult leader in history were still with us? Not balanced by immortal Inspirational figures and deep thinkers of course, because the above baddies would have still killed them, as they have always done.

By: Floyd

Floyd — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:33:11 +0000

I have a feeling that true immortality would get pretty boring after awhile. Maybe that’s why we there isn’t anything going on that requires divine intervention or magic. The Immortals got tired of immortality and went with Plan B. Hence the Death of God article(s) written in 1966…

By: Improbus

Improbus — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:06:55 +0000

I will reconsider living forever once I have a few hundred years under my belt. Why not take immortality for a test drive to see if you like it?

By: The Monster's Lawyer

The Monster's Lawyer — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:38:17 +0000

The longer I live the longer I can submit to this blog. Viva JCD Uncensored! Long live his holiness.

By: Sea Lawyer

Sea Lawyer — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:29:33 +0000

So does forced castration come with immortality, or are we supposed to just keep cramming more and more of us into our little planet here?

By: amodedoma

amodedoma — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:03:52 +0000

#56 wake up

I wouldn’t count on it. Research is something you do when things are going well, and just in case you missed it, things are not going well. In fact I’ve got it from very good sources that things are going to get a lot worse before they even begin to get better.

By: Uncle Patso

Uncle Patso — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:34:55 +0000

This is not immortality as it has been portrayed in fiction, it’s just life extension. We would still become old and sick; we’d probably mostly live in doctors’ offices and hospitals once we reach 70 or so, and definitely after 100. There will likely be very few who survive past about 115 years. The BIG question is whether this is covered by insurance, Medicare, etc. This will likely be pretty expensive, especially at first. Social security retirement age will likely keep going up for a while.

Still, I wouldn’t mind being a burden on those younger than me for another couple of decades, as long as I can still type and see/read the screen!

By: Awake

Awake — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:49:13 +0000

Life extension without known limits is increasingly theoretically possible, and really not very unlikely.

Suppose it takes 5 years to find treatments that add 15 years of healthy life. In those 15 extra years there would be time to develop life extension technologies adding yet another 45 years, during which time further technologies would be developed adding exponentially more time. If certain problems are solves such as brain aging, there is no reason why it can’t go on forever.

With genetic manipulation there is no reason for this not to happen.

It may be that the first person to live “forever” has already been born.

The people that are screwed are people like JCD, that were born just one generation too late and will miss the train of extended life, dying instead as old grouches. If you are over 40, you may be part of the last generation that actually is condemned to die while the younger generation gets to live healthily forever. Talk about bad timing.

By: amodedoma

amodedoma — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:38:04 +0000

Lazarus Long was nearly dead before Ira Weatherall found him. He was ready to die, out of sheer boredom. That for me would probably be the biggest problem with immortality. Still I think I’d like to have the chance to exsist until I do get bored with it.

By: Glenn E.

Glenn E. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:50:48 +0000

So far, the only thing that exhibits any substantial longevity, is the longevity research itself. And the grant money it brings in. Which is very likely going to be how it is, for a very long time. And continue to outlive all the scientists researching it. Nice to have such job security, until you die.

By: Glenn E.

Glenn E. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:44:54 +0000

I rather have the option to live in near perfect health, for about the average lifespan. And then drop dead totally unexpectedly. Like the way light bulbs often burn out. Flash, you’re gone. The only thing modern medicine has come up with, so far is, a prolonged life suffering with various ills and failings. We’re managing to live longer, with less things working right in our bodies. But the world isn’t handing us an easier ride for still being around. They still want the youngest and the brightest, on the job. And to hell with the older and more experienced.

And yet the deficit spending is ever reducing the monetary value of our retirement savings. By driving the cost of everything upward. But only the US Congress gets a cost of living adjustment, so they won’t suffer. While the rest of non-corporate America doesn’t. So how on earth could to possibly live forever? If you have to survive seeing almost everything you worked for, and believed in, turning into dust and ashes? Maybe they science should concentrate on making jobs, savings, investments, and the economy, survive for much longer. And the rest will take care of itself.

By: chuck

chuck — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:56:54 +0000

My theory is that we actually achieved the “singularity” that Kurzweil thinks is imminent. It happened about 4,000 years ago. And one of us, as a practical joke, used their infinite knowledge and power to create this planet and trick us into believing in them. He calls it World of Earthcraft. His account is scheduled to be shut down on Dec 21, 2012.

By: r_and_om

r_and_om — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:24:46 +0000

IMHO~
there are going to have to be laws.
if you choose to do such a thing you must also choose not to have children in exchange. other wise we’d over populate the earth (EVEN MORE) in 10 years and kill us ALL sooner haha

nobody who is alive really WANTS to die. (although it is inevitable), even if we make eternal our bodies, the universe is finite, it began and will end as each of us do, as we are in it, we are microcosms of it.
so personally i’d rather perpetuate my life the old fashioned (and rather fun ) way as opposed to the selfish,short sighted, and ultimately futile one.

By: Animby

Animby — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:23:53 +0000

Depends on how hard it will be to learn Chinese.

In general, I’d vote “YES” for me and “NO” for everyone else.