71 replies to this topic

[TheProphetOfTheFuture]

I've read a lot on the internet about the concepts of immortality, and how it can be achieved. One suggestion might be to use nanobots that constantly repair the body and thus keep it alive, but nanobots also have many drawbacks as they might cause more harm. What do you think about this topic?

[Yuli Ban]

It's like AI and interstellar travel: we're not sure if it's possible as of now. Nanobots might not be a good option, since, if they actually worked as Drexler claimed, they would really screw up the Laws of Thermodynamics.

[SG-1]

No.  Optional death is, but not immortality.

Well, maybe?  What if we found a way to create some spirit/non-physical bodies?  Made of energy or matter that doesn't entropy?  Is that even remotely possible?

[Cosmic Cat]

If you're talking about the literal representation of immortality as in "forever alive" is impossible. Time is ever existent. You're not. In terms of prolonging your life though, it's more than possible. In this time period we know what causes the disease known as "dying of old age". It's pretty simple, the Telomere (they're like the tip of shoelaces that keep things together. Except they're for dna)  just runs out and our cells stop multiplying and replacing. Than organs fail because they don't have enough cells to support the functions. If a cell continues to multiply even when it's Telomeres ran out will just cause cancer. It's that simple.  I'm just surprised that countries haven't heavily invested in this technology all ready.

[star0]

Even in the best case, you probably won't live past a few hundred years, assuming you don't do mind-uploading. If you don't die from things like heart disease or cancer, then you will die from things like: * Falls (e.g. you fall into a sinkhole) * Lightning strikes * Drowning * Collapsed building * Fire * Crash * Suffocation from freak mazukus * Meteor strike * Murder * Software bugs * Hardware bugs * Software viruses in your transhuman tech * Freak systematic failure of the body (rare, undiagnosed conditions) * Radiation exposure * Nuclear annihilation * Runaway AI And the more complex and interconnected our world becomes, the higher the chance in any given year (e.g. from computer viruses).

[StanleyAlexander]

I've always held reservations about declaring anything to be "impossible."  I'm inclined to agree with ayubel on this one:

 

Time is ever existent. You're not.

But still, on an extremely fundamental level, I would sooner agree with the axiom "anything is possible."  If our ultimate future is to in some way transcend this universe, as I believe (read "hope"), it seems possible that that transcendence would include transcending space and time, as we currently understand them.  This could be considered immortality.

[Futurist]

I've read a lot on the internet about the concepts of immortality, and how it can be achieved. One suggestion might be to use nanobots that constantly repair the body and thus keep it alive, but nanobots also have many drawbacks as they might cause more harm. What do you think about this topic?

I don't know about immortality, but IMHO, achieving indefinite lifespans will almost certainly be possible in the future.

[GenX]

If you mean immortality in that you won't die of natural causes then perhaps, but if you live long enough, then the odds of you being killed go up every day.  So if I remember my algebra correctly, there should be a point where you've lived so long that the odds of you being killed are 100%.

[WithoutCoincidence]

Immortality, the ability to live forever.

 

Forever is a pretty long time. Immortality is impossible.

 

Negligible Senescence on the other hand, the lack of aging symptoms, is very much possible.

[Kombaticus]

We're all arguing semantics here.  I'm pretty sure prophet meant "no longer growing physically older," not "Highlander" immortality.

 

As far as what I think personally...will we be able to do so eventually?  Sure.  Will we be able to within our lifetimes?  Possibly.  Will we have access to it?  Possibly.

[Axiom]

I just want to find and interact with other species. The thought of inevitable death is so terrifying. If our supposed "conscious minds" are possible, then I truly believe that there must be a species.. perhaps extremely far away, that experiences this "conscious thought". To die without interacting with another "extraterrestrial" species would be... (cannot put into words). ...What happens after our "conscious" dies? How can so much memory/knowledge just disappear? There must be solutions, somewhere in these Universes. 

[WithoutCoincidence]

 

 

[font="tahoma, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;background-color:rgb(24,24,24);"] How can so much memory/knowledge just disappear? [/font]

It can. Memory and knowledge is just ordered information, and that is something the 2nd law of thermodynamics protests the existence of. It's a sad thing, but all of someone's experiences and emotions vanish with death.

[Italian Ufo]

yes but if we become immortal we will change completely at some point. it will be a continuation of us but we will be complitely different

[SG-1]

We have to cure depression first.  Some people get so close to throwing it all away in a fit of impulsive and irrational decision making

[FutureGuy]

We have to cure depression first.  Some people get so close to throwing it all away in a fit of impulsive and irrational decision making

 

 

Being clinically depressed I've got to agree with this. It's a terrible illness and it must be cured.

[Italian Ufo]

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[wjfox]

It is definitely possible. Some animal species are already immortal.

 

https://en.wikipedia...cal_immortality

 

https://en.wikipedia...iving_organisms

 

http://www.cracked.c...y-immortal.html

[Futurist]

It is definitely possible. Some animal species are already immortal.

 

https://en.wikipedia...cal_immortality

 

https://en.wikipedia...iving_organisms

 

http://www.cracked.c...y-immortal.html

Immortal, or with an indefinite lifespan?

[Ghostreaper]

Immortality would mean that you would have an infinite life span, since the universe doesn't have an infinite life span then I guess you can't live forever.

 

As for living until you are killed by something at point, then yes I fully believe that will happen. First will come life extension to say around 130+ years old, then (most likely before 25 year olds today even turn 90) ageing can be stopped and reversed. Then comes transhuman tech, after that the possibilities will likely explode and you could have countless methods of living well the into upper ends of the Kardashev scale. Once we hit the singularity any kind of problem that could endanger our future lives (organic or transhuman) would be overcome as they were encountered.

[TheProphetOfTheFuture]

Okay, to clear things up a bit, I'll have to say that maybe "immortality" can't be fully achieved, but maybe we can just extend our lifespans long enough so that we can see our great-grandchildren or maybe our great-great grandchildren, But, this will require a lot of time and effort to develop and it might not be for everyone and if it were, you'd have people who would shun it because they want to experience death. I'll be honest, I am afraid of dying, especially from something as dangerous and sad as cancer or murder, I just hope that humanity is able to achieve this within my lifetime.