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Immortality

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  • Immortality

    What kind of immortality would you prefer? As far as I know, there's ongoing research for each of these options except perhaps Cryonics, though I might just be unaware of that last. Assuming for the moment that all of these paths are ultimately realizable, which direction do you prefer? Which ones freak you out, if any? Why?

    Personally, I'm in favor of Nanomedicine, though I suspect Cyborgization is going to happen, too.
    20
    Anti-Aging Genetic Engineering
    0.00%
    0
    Regenerative Medicine
    20.00%
    4
    Cryonics
    0.00%
    0
    Nanomedicine
    5.00%
    1
    Artificial Intelligence
    0.00%
    0
    Digital Immortality
    5.00%
    1
    Cyborgization
    5.00%
    1
    None of the Above
    65.00%
    13
    I'm not here anymore.

  • #2
    Never thought of this before, even though I am familiar with these technologies.
    Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
    Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
    But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

    go with the flow the river knows . . .

    Frank

    I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

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    • #3
      Um, all of those look painful...
      "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

      "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

      My Personal Blog

      My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

      Quill Sword

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
        Um, all of those look painful...
        They do? Some of them might be (not signing up for a head transplant anytime soon), but I don't think Anti-Aging Medicine would be any worse than the vaccines we already receive. Artificial Intelligence should be relatively pain free depending on how our consciousness is uploaded.
        I'm not here anymore.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
          What kind of immortality would you prefer? As far as I know, there's ongoing research for each of these options except perhaps Cryonics, though I might just be unaware of that last. Assuming for the moment that all of these paths are ultimately realizable, which direction do you prefer? Which ones freak you out, if any? Why?

          Personally, I'm in favor of Nanomedicine, though I suspect Cyborgization is going to happen, too.
          Immortality is immortality, so unless there is a difference from a personal perspective, I'd take either of them.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
            They do? Some of them might be (not signing up for a head transplant anytime soon), but I don't think Anti-Aging Medicine would be any worse than the vaccines we already receive. Artificial Intelligence should be relatively pain free depending on how our consciousness is uploaded.
            I had gammula globlin as a child. Shots are evil. Evil, I say!

            Necessary, but evil.

            The upload might or might not hurt - but the prep is what I was thinking of. "Hold still while we install this USB port." OUCH!!!
            "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

            "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

            My Personal Blog

            My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

            Quill Sword

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            • #7
              Originally posted by JimL View Post
              Immortality is immortality, so unless there is a difference from a personal perspective, I'd take either of them.
              It could be a question of preference as far as remaining human or turning into some transhuman or posthuman form.

              The first three options leave you in a human state, though in different ways. Anti-aging medicine leaves you in the same body, with some minor adjustments to halt the effects of aging. Regenerative medicine doesn't necessarily halt aging, but it allows us to replace worn body parts (potentially even the entire body at once). Cryonics may do neither of those things, but allow you to skip through time so to speak.

              Nanomedicine and Cyborgization are transhuman states of existence. With the latter, we supplement body parts with artificial ones, and in the process we could significantly increase our physical/mental capabilities. With Nanomedicine, we endow ourselves with constant physiological corrections and potentially even the ability to survive death (or at least, be respawned). Compare that to the human solutions wherein one simply does not age but still has the ability to die.

              Artificial Intelligence and Digital Immortality are both posthuman states. We're not even human at that point, but simulated intelligences or something else entirely. The AI description is almost like a Terminator, with controlled thoughts and actions but nothing akin to pain. With DI, imagine having the ability to transfer your consciousness to any number of entities. Become the ship that transports you through space, then transfer to an android for walking around a station and interacting with others. Perhaps you could choose to immerse yourself completely into a sort of MMORPG, participating in a life and time of your choosing.

              So there's a fair bit of personal perspective involved, ofc, but it's mostly a question of which state you want to exist in.
              I'm not here anymore.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by shunyadragon View Post
                Never thought of this before, even though I am familiar with these technologies.
                I hadn't either, which is why I thought to post here. I mean, I've read enough sci-fi to be familiar with all of these potential scenarios, but the "hey we might actually be able to do this" hadn't really sunk in for the most part. There are a lot of stories exploring what can happen when these technologies start to become common, in particular how rights are handled between human and trans/post-human groups. It seems to pretty easily turn into separate classes, each with their own sets of rules.
                I'm not here anymore.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Anti-aging medicine (not anti-aging genetic engineering) is possible, I think. Telomeres. Said a guy in a certain movie, "Plastics!" But that's not it except possibly in rare cases.
                  The greater number of laws . . . , the more thieves . . . there will be. ---- Lao-Tzu

                  [T]he truth I’m after and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance -— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
                    I had gammula globlin as a child. Shots are evil. Evil, I say!
                    You had a goblin grandma and there are shots for it?!?

                    I'm always still in trouble again

                    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
                      It could be a question of preference as far as remaining human or turning into some transhuman or posthuman form.

                      The first three options leave you in a human state, though in different ways. Anti-aging medicine leaves you in the same body, with some minor adjustments to halt the effects of aging. Regenerative medicine doesn't necessarily halt aging, but it allows us to replace worn body parts (potentially even the entire body at once). Cryonics may do neither of those things, but allow you to skip through time so to speak.

                      Nanomedicine and Cyborgization are transhuman states of existence. With the latter, we supplement body parts with artificial ones, and in the process we could significantly increase our physical/mental capabilities. With Nanomedicine, we endow ourselves with constant physiological corrections and potentially even the ability to survive death (or at least, be respawned). Compare that to the human solutions wherein one simply does not age but still has the ability to die.

                      Artificial Intelligence and Digital Immortality are both posthuman states. We're not even human at that point, but simulated intelligences or something else entirely. The AI description is almost like a Terminator, with controlled thoughts and actions but nothing akin to pain. With DI, imagine having the ability to transfer your consciousness to any number of entities. Become the ship that transports you through space, then transfer to an android for walking around a station and interacting with others. Perhaps you could choose to immerse yourself completely into a sort of MMORPG, participating in a life and time of your choosing.

                      So there's a fair bit of personal perspective involved, ofc, but it's mostly a question of which state you want to exist in.
                      Well by your definitions none of them are necessarily absolutely immortal, they could all be destroyed. But, discounting that fact, I would definitely opt for the Nanomedicine option. All though I might add, for all we know we could already be simulated intelligences without realizing it!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
                        What kind of immortality would you prefer? As far as I know, there's ongoing research for each of these options except perhaps Cryonics, though I might just be unaware of that last. Assuming for the moment that all of these paths are ultimately realizable, which direction do you prefer? Which ones freak you out, if any? Why?

                        Personally, I'm in favor of Nanomedicine, though I suspect Cyborgization is going to happen, too.
                        Anti-Aging Genetic Engineering -cool
                        Regenerative Medicine - cool
                        Cryonics - not really immortality.
                        Nanomedicine - this is cool
                        Artificial Intelligence - don't think this will have your consciousness along with it
                        Digital Immortality - cool, but not sure how feasible
                        Cyborgization - If we get this far, maybe.
                        "It's evolution; every time you invent something fool-proof, the world invents a better fool."
                        -Unknown

                        "Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words." - Most likely St.Francis


                        I find that evolution is the best proof of God.
                        ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        I support the :
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                        • #13
                          Even if we do manage to get one of these working, the Universe is at some point coming to a end....
                          "It's evolution; every time you invent something fool-proof, the world invents a better fool."
                          -Unknown

                          "Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words." - Most likely St.Francis


                          I find that evolution is the best proof of God.
                          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          I support the :
                          sigpic

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            So... there's only one thing that will work. Divine intervention! Too bad. Maybe we can still make our own star ships?
                            If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
                              So... there's only one thing that will work. Divine intervention! Too bad. Maybe we can still make our own star ships?
                              Probably, but we need someway to cheapen construction of the things. We may also need to place the passengers in cryogenics for now, mainly to keep them from aging...
                              "It's evolution; every time you invent something fool-proof, the world invents a better fool."
                              -Unknown

                              "Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words." - Most likely St.Francis


                              I find that evolution is the best proof of God.
                              ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              I support the :
                              sigpic

                              Comment

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