It seems like life is so short and insignificant: that as it stands we can only achieve greater purpose through numbers, or by passing our genes on throughout generations...
However, as time goes on, as does our understanding of technology, surely we will be overcoming these barriers: our very own consciusnesses will break free from the rules of old, and will begin to increase in importance and influence.
It seems like we're standing at a huge turning point, and that within our lifetimes there will be huge technological advancements; changes which will allow some of us to extend our lifespans significantly.
It may reduce the conflicts in the world; will allow us to travel further into space; will allow us to accumulate greater comprehenshion of subjects and further increase our scientific understanding; will curb the rates of reproduction, etc, etc. There will be huge knock on effects.
However, will all these be changes for good? What will be the adverse effects of a world population which lives 10 times as long as it currently does?
Then, what methods will be employed to allow us to live for longer? Will they be cybernetic, biological or medical? Will we transfer our consciousnesses to robots; learn to manipulate/rebuild our cells and bodies biologically or advance medicine to the point that nothing will ever knock us down?
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If less people felt that way, I think many things would be better.
In some ways I am hoping an AI emerges and takes over the managment. I see no reason that it would be hostile, as humans are already a subset of a greater force (or forces) If we have an AI we can directly communicate with in charge we may be able to live and explore in ways we could never do otherwise.
if we solve the problem of death, i think the problem of overpopulation will become trivial
How so? Because food production etc. would have developed so that starvation wasn't an issue and we had either colonised another planet or living underwater or something so space wasn't an issue? Or because we would have evolved in such a way that the problems we face living in physical reality would cease to matter?
I just have a feeling that after I die that theres going to be something more. I just see death as a natural progression.
Meta s correct. The natural deterioration of our chromosomes and cells is the only thing that holds us back from living longer, apart from the obvious illnesses like cancer etc, that also shorten life. If we could manipulate these we wouldn't age.
Or we could just get cancer.
Gene manipulation is bad. Do you really want to piss off Jesus and possibly go to Hell?
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/05/scientists-create-first-self-replicating-synthetic-life/
We live on in a new world, at an incomprehensible distance away. Maybe not in the same realm. The reason we live for so short is a safety measure so that we do not use up the resources and ruin the world we roamed at such a fast pace.
Maybe somewhere, some time, there will be a sanctuary where we can finally stay in one instance, immortal and uncontained.. as free as a human.
We already live in a world with robots and supercomputers.
Life's good
Sorry to go off-topic, but good to see you here buddy. And with your old username. I'm diggin' it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryonics
I heard you have to be dead to be allowed to do it though. I'll have to get a relative or something to drag my body into the lab.
Tightass, if you can afford cyropreservation you can at least not cut corners and have a team on standby, well assuming you know in advance as opposed to like getting shot by a nigger.:)
I agree that it's unlikely to be an organic method until we can modify our telomeres to stop the process that results in our death.
I will document everything that I experienced in life because I am sure I won't remember shit when they bring me back.
I guess if we had a perfect antioxidant and were in perfect health we could easily live ~120 years excluding random shit. I don't think it would take much genetic engineering to make cells keep regenerating like on the last man or the omega man or whatever the fuck that movie was called where the guys name was john oldman and he randomly had perfect cell regen and lived forever. Great movie Ill find the title you have got to watch it. The thing is we cant actually do genetic engineering as much as science would lead you to believe.
Then theres futurama style brain transplants or preservation. The thing is, the brain ages. You can take care of your car and your shit might last really fuckin long but your transmission or somethings gonna need replaced someday. We have no idea how long the brain would last. Then theres a partial brain transplant called a consciousness transplant where they just put the "you" part of your brain into a fresh one. A big reason for this is that it would be ridiculously hard to attach your whole brain to a new nervous system and expect it to function properly. If you don't know, nerves are not just a solid cord, they are filled with more nerves, and even if we hooked up the right nerves to what looks like the right parts of the brain, probably still would be fucked. I have a feeling though that the part of your brain that they kept would start aging or freaking out and youve got some maniacal, senile, retarded personality running around in a buff fresh body.
Idk I'm high and this shit always interested me, just google all that shit that I said in my previous post if youre interested.