Why does any body want to live forever?

why does any body want to live forever? , posted 14 Apr 2010 at 21:49 UTC by badvogato » (Master)

before they read 'Heaven and Hell misplaced' and give it some thoughts?

haven't read it, posted 15 Apr 2010 at 02:00 UTC by proclus » (Master)

Perhaps you could give a link. It also depends on what you are asking. From a religious perspective, most teach that the immortality problem has already been solved, so why bother? From a mortal, physical standpoint, immortality is vastly far way, as it were. If we double or triple our life span, or even increase it by a factor of 10 or 20, it would be a huge stride, but it cannot be compared to the vastness of immortality, which is mathematically undefined, which is said not to exist.

In my scientific opinion, an indefinite lifespan may be possible, but it is so far ahead of where we are today as to be a meaningless pursuit and impractical in the extreme. It is not foreseeable, and there is much room for doubt. Moreover, an indefinite life span is not immortality either. The longer you live, the greater chance that you will die by some accident or be killed. We find those proposing physical immortality also proposing very dangerous other proposals, which will obviously shorten their lives, not lengthen. My goal is increased longevity, not immortality, which appears to me to be a fools pursuit at this stage of the game and for the foreseeable as well. Even religionists may agree with that, saying that we already have immortality, so why not do something useful.

One the other hand, more longevity is widely regarded as good and pursued with great vigor, unless you believe that it is better to die quicker? Isn't that one definition of madness? Are you a danger to yourself?

Regards,
proclus
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proclus
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