Immortality in Humans

But if someone lives forever, won't that make it easier to discover how to do it? I mean, there are scientists who die along the way of trying to figure it out. If someone lived forever though...they could keep studying how to find a planet, or convert one.

And whom do we pick to live forever?

Chris Martin:

But if someone lives forever, won't that make it easier to discover how to do it? I mean, there are scientists who die along the way of trying to figure it out. If someone lived forever though...they could keep studying how to find a planet, or convert one.

That's hardly an issue since their work is successfully passed down on other scientists through some notes, computers, theories or simply had coworkers that work along side him and then continue working after the scientist dies.

It's In The Blood.:

And whom do we pick to live forever?

Dunno. Some one like Steven Hawking, I would imagine.

Xsoteria:

That's hardly an issue since their work is successfully passed down on other scientists through some notes, computers, theories or simply had coworkers that work along side him and then continue working after the scientist dies.

I guess that's true. But if someone lived forever they could study everything.

I dunno. It would be nice to give dear Stephen a chance to walk again, but I'm rather reluctant to trust anyone to live forever. Too much power. Too much potential for corruption. I mean, have you seen Spiderman II? Doctor Octopus had good intentions :-( But then his robotic tentacles took him over. Was very sad.

They should make up a back up plan if one does become too powerful. They are going to be cybermen, so maybe we could just flip a switch and they die...

But then people would be breaking in to flip the switch just because they didn't like the guy - or, um, it was ungodly. Yeah. That sounds about right. Someone who was like "OMG ONLY GOD SHOULD HAVE THIS POWER!!!!" would kill 'em. Because as we know, religious fundamentalists aren't exactly consistent. Don't kill foetuses, kill gay people? Riiight.

I said switch to imply that you could turn them back on (should've stated that, sorry). But yeah, so if some religious nutcase wants to go around willy nilly turning people's switches off, then we could turn them back on again if we choose too.

Oh, okay lol. But then they wouldn't bother with the switches - they'd just pack the place with explosives.

Did that just rhyme? :|

And is something that can be turned on and off safely with a switch human enough to trust and treat as a human?

I think this whole thing is another case of humans trying to play god. That never turns out well...

It's In The Blood.:

Oh, okay lol. But then they wouldn't bother with the switches - they'd just pack the place with explosives.

Did that just rhyme? :|

And is something that can be turned on and off safely with a switch human enough to trust and treat as a human?

Maybe they would make the cybermen invinceble O.O Not even explosives could kill them. I think it did rhyme too

And yes, I think you could trust them. If they did something wrong, we'd just turn they're switch off. They wouldn't like that probably.

DSTRYR.:

I think this whole thing is another case of humans trying to play god. That never turns out well...

I disagree. I think this is pretty rad. Humans living forever, it's a pretty wicked idea if you ask me. When humans play god, miraculous things happen in the world of science.

DSTRYR.:

I think this whole thing is another case of humans trying to play god. That never turns out well...

What does that even mean? You can throw around the term of playing God and its oh so horrible consequences whenever a scientific progress is about to be made.

It's In The Blood.:

And whom do we pick to live forever?

That's another issue The technology would be clearly favoring the richest people of all... meaning, world leaders... I think that's the people that the whole development would target first, and eventually the system would be corrupted, because only people with higher incomes would have access to said technology, while the poorest would just stand by and watch politicians, kings, queens, and so on live forever... I think I'm looking to ahead of the game though

Also, maybe scientists... but the issue is, which scientists? There are several ongoing experiments, and I think that if the highests social class was to have the control over it, they would choose scientists that have the same ideals as they do...

I vote Barack Obama to live forever

And I also vote the scientist in the main article as the one who makes up said nanobots that turn us into cybermen and cyberwomen.

Chris Martin:

I vote Barack Obama to live forever

And I also vote the scientist in the main article as the one who makes up said nanobots that turn us into cybermen and cyberwomen.

Ghh, I'd vote against a politician being immortal even if it were a politician I like. Immortality should be reserved for scientific or artistic discoveries/exploration/work, not as a means of attaining more political power.

Power corrupts. I wouldn't trust a single person to live forever - not me, not my mummy, not anyone. It'd suck anyway. You'd see everyone you loved die. Could dive you a little crazy. Then you'd be crazy and immortal. I'm not liking it so far.

I don't think I'd want to live forever. Emphasis on the I, before anyone jumps on me. I can see why it appeals, it just doesn't for me. The brevity of life is what makes it more incredible and profound and meaningful, as far as I'm concerned.

It's In The Blood.:

You'd see everyone you loved die. Could dive you a little crazy.

And then you'd start trying to alter time only to find out you don't make a great deal of difference either way. Which is pretty sad.

You edited that before I could come to the pepper pots. Oh well.

Ok so how about unusually prolonged life? As in a few hundred (thousand) years? Or immortality of the elves? Like you would live forever unless you decided to die or were killed?

elizabeth gaskell:

I don't think I'd want to live forever. Emphasis on the I, before anyone jumps on me. I can see why it appeals, it just doesn't for me. The brevity of life is what makes it more incredible and profound and meaningful, as far as I'm concerned.

And then you'd start trying to alter time only to find out you don't make a great deal of difference either way. Which is pretty sad.

You edited that before I could come to the pepper pots. Oh well.

Yeah, I didn't like how I'd phrased it.

But, you know, Dr. Who should totally act as a warning here. We could end up invading other worlds in pepper pots, trailing around after a guy with two hearts.

Ugh. Let's just stay home.

I think the issue here is more the fear everyone has of dying (or nearly everyone). We know what it's like to be alive, so we can sort of guess what it might be like to live forever. No one really knows what being dead is like.

Shakespeare put it rather well:

But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?

(That's me being a nerd, not me trying to look deep *shifty*)

Xsoteria:

Ok so how about unusually prolonged life? As in a few hundred (thousand) years? Or immortality of the elves? Like you would live forever unless you decided to die or were killed?

This sounds rather nice. I like this idea better now