Born 50yrs too early...

[NeilF]

So here's an article proclaiming immortality is 20yrs off. Now while I don't believe that, I do think that many of the things it's talking about are not that far away.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/...tality-only-20-years-away-says-scientist.html

It's frustrating to think that the generation 50yrs after ours will most likely have health and longevity beyond our imagination...

 

[NeilF]

I doubt anyone will ever live forever.

And even if you could, why would you want to?

Of course not... But would you prefer a healthy prime of 20-30yrs with a 20-30yr fade away? Or a 200 year prime of your life

 

[NeilF]

Eternity as a 40 year old....brilliant.

What would you prefer in comparison? 200yrs as a 40yr old... or 10yrs as a 40yrs old, 10yrs as a 50yr old.., 10yrs as a 60yr old... 2yrs as a 70yr old... and 168yrs as dust?

 

[NeilF]

Sums up the report for me, he's clearly been watching too much T2.

Indeed... But do you not think within the next 100yrs we will have the ability to probably control the aging process to a significant degree? Do you not think had you been born 50-100yrs later your life would not be over within 70yrs, but maybe three times that instead?

 

[NeilF]

It is theoreticly possible that we will live longer in the future and that we will have artificial parts replacing some of our organs, but in 20 years we will be able to acheive immortality? No chance.

That was not the suggestion (or the point) of the OP. The premise is that probably soon after you die, the science will be developed to create far healthier lives, that go on for far longer periods.

It's akin to dying from a disease that they find the cure to the following year.

This, and probably the next generation will die having lead traditional lives with traditional life times. Beyond that people will most likely live two, three or more times longer...

Are you not the slightest big jealous?

 

[NeilF]

More poignantly, would we want to achieve immortality?

No... But to live got 200yrs instead of 70? Yes!

 

[NeilF]

So instead of working for forty years then dying, you get to work for 180 taxable years before dying?

I''ll take the coronary at 70, thanks.

I'd come to your funeral then... and then the 20yrs after that I'd probably go and live and work in South Asia for a change. The 20yrs after that maybe just take it easy in South America. The 20yrs after that maybe come back to the UK for a change...

You can have and keep your coronary

I suspect if people were living for 2 or 3 life spans, and assuming energy and such were cheaper/easier to produce (nuclear fusion) you might find society was less 'work' orientated...

 

[NeilF]

Is it not possible that we could live to all be 100, or maybe over, if we are here in 20 or 40 years time we could take advantage of some improvements in tech that may allow us to live longer?

Possibly, but I expect our generation will not see the benefit the individuals in the second half of the century will get. They will probably live double our life spans, and more healthily too... We just missed the boat on this one...

 

[NeilF]

Even if they did manage to do this would they really release this to the public?? the world would just become over populated

Interesting point... It mught just be for the rich/elite. Could generate a hell of a class/society divide!

 

[NeilF]

they may be immune to ageing but they wont be immune to fire

Reminds me of 'Zardoz'

 

[NeilF]

Any one else think we live too long as it is ? Surely our time and effort should go towards those who are less fortunate then ourselves. As a First World country we already have everything we need on our doorstep BUT we are impatient, easily angered, greedy, selfish and arrogant, yet still we want more.

If this did come to pass, do you really think it would improve quality of life ? Would you want to work for another 20 years of your life, doing what you do now for another 10, 20, 30 years (longer then you do now) ? You'd be bored and get complacent.

my 2p

There's no IF about it... Just WHEN...

At some point in 50, 100, or 200 years, we'll have the ability most likely to slowdown the aging process. Of course other factors will come into play such as general gene degradation. But people's life spans will drastically increase...

 

[NeilF]

Funnily enough I was with a bunch of 4th year Medical students last week who were lecturing to 50 x 14 year olds and one of them said 'Because of modern medicine there is an excellent chance that in this room one of you will live until you are 120 years old'

Ummm... And then these 50 x fourteen olds spent the weekend sitting on the sofa playing their game consoles and eating KFC?

 

[NeilF]

This is part of the hilarious idea of religion and heaven/hell, do you really want a eternity in heaven, honestly, what is there to do you would enjoy doing FOREVER.

Sex would be boring if you did it every few hours for the rest of time, as would bowling, reading and anything else anyone can think of. I'd prefer to stop, eventually as at some point there is literally nothing left to do, theres only a finite amount of things to do and see on earth. If we didn't have to work for 2/3rds of the day for 2/3rds of our lives, well, we'd be bored to tears, and most of those who work for so long are doing jobs that mean nothing to them and are boring. We've filled up our lives with so much meaningless crap anyway, you could condence the interesting stuff that was worthwhile and fun, into several years most likely, skip the rest and be done.

Speak for yourself... Unfortunately life is too short. Think of it even in these simple terms. The choice to have kids or not.. It's basically a life time commitment as it takes 25yrs to get them out of your door... The entire middle of your life is spent with (or without) kids basically.

Now, imagine being to live your life not having kids, and with kids... ie: Have the middle of your life twice (or more) over...

 

[NeilF]

I'd like to live forever, or die, come back as someone else, of course, you'd not realise it... But I find the idea of nothingness for eternity horrifying even if we would not realise it, it just seems odd, can't imagine it, just can't get the mind around it.

It's the inevitability of death, coming at you like a freight train, that's just depressing Seems a long way off at the moment, but all too soon, it'll be right in your face...

*and today's next happy thought is....*

 

[NeilF]

i don't know about you but non existence sounds preferable to consciousness without end.

Indeed... But maybe a good few hundred years of consciousness sound preferable to popping your clogs just about when you've begun to get the hang if it...

 

[NeilF]

Sounds absolutely horrendous to be forever young or forever old, I presently have no desire to live forever or even anywhere approaching an approximation of that, maybe that will change as I get closer to death but right now I quite like the fact that I've got a finite span to do my living in. "We are all under a sentence of death, but with a sort of indefinite reprieve." - Victor Hugo.

So given a nice extended period of 'middle life' lasting 100 instead of 30 years.. You wouldn't be interested?

 

[NeilF]

Within our system, we are nothing but economic slaves. There is no advantage of the elite releasing information about immortality to the masses.

OK! Are you David Icke?

 

[NeilF]

Not especially no, as I say I'm quite happy with my limited lifespan at the moment and I can't imagine that is all that likely to change.

Let me guess, you're under 30, and feel immortal at the moment...

Wait 5-10 years... Just about when you can start feeling the rumblings of the freight train in the distance...

 

[NeilF]

I am under 30 but my viewpoint isn't due to feelings of present immortality, I simply don't want to live forever, knowing that I won't therefore isn't a source of any concern to me.

Look at every comment I've made (to you and others). I've never once suggested "forever". I've been suggesting (for realistic reasons) doubling for example your life expectancy... But you even poo-poo'd that

 

[NeilF]

You did intimate that you think I "...feel immortal at the moment..." and I'm countering that whether I do or don't feel like that it isn't likely to affect my viewpoint. However I apologise for continuing as if you were suggesting that forever is the goal but I don't want to double my life expectancy, even if it can be engineered so that you live with the current quality of life of a (say) 30 year old for 50 years and then go into normal ageing. It doesn't appeal to me, as I say I am perfectly content with what should be a normal lifespan, maybe that is unusual but c'est la vie.

Come back in 10-15 yrs and let's see how your views have changed... I guarentee your 'young heroic' opinion probably will have changes to an 'oh ****!' one