Human immortality through artificial bodies?

[Lekhaka]

Posting one or two OOT post is OK too in general discussion, but turning it into a debate about another topic is not nice to the OP.

Talking about the implications of immortality in this thread seems totally on topic to me.

[Kuroneko_rg]

I trully don't think it is possible. The brain would keep aging even though it's succesfully installed on a proper body.
It would probably be more like an extension, a resource to use if you are really really rich.

Aside of that, even if true immortality were achieved, I wouldn't consider it as a path to follow.

To be immortal would imply to witness every single event from that moment on. Can anyone as a person, withstand the many, many changes
that awaits in the future?

I probably couldn't. Time is priceless because is limited. To "buy" and endless time would destroy the very perception we have as ephemeral beings.

[chocojax]

Kinda off what you guys were talking about in the past few threads, but here's the main reason why I'd like to live a bit longer. :'D

- I wanna complete my dream goals before I die, it'll make me feel much more satisfied than if I've never learned how to play the violin, never went to Australia, etc. Once I'm done with those, I'd be happy to die, lol.

And I wouldn't really mind not having my body. I feel like it holds me back at times. :/ Sometimes I just wanna work all day, but I have to stop and eat just so that I won't starve. And I have to clean my body everyday, gotta put on lotion, go to sleep for 7 hours where I could be doing something else, etc. Taking care of my body feels like a chore. All I want to do is learn(though I probably would need to sleep for my brain, lool.).

Though I agree with some people, having unlimited time would make tons of people become lazy(??). It's kinda like when you start summer after 9th grade. You feel like there's tons of time in the world, and you get bored. And then, you don't do anything at all other than waste your time with the television or mindless things on the internet. :/ Like, imagine having summer forever!

[TrickWithAKnife]

To be immortal would imply to witness every single event from that moment on. Can anyone as a person, withstand the many, many changes that awaits in the future?

I don't read newspapers, watch TV or listen to the radio. Ignorance truly is bliss.
The point is, you can surround you with whatever kind of information you want. If you choose positive sources, life is wonderful.

[Kuroneko_rg]

To be immortal would imply to witness every single event from that moment on. Can anyone as a person, withstand the many, many changes that awaits in the future?

I don't read newspapers, watch TV or listen to the radio. Ignorance truly is bliss.
The point is, you can surround you with whatever kind of information you want. If you choose positive sources, life is wonderful.

Oh, yes... Ignorance certainly is a blessing in most cases. However, a perpetual existence in ignorance would be no different to be nonexistent.

Life is wonderful indeed. Sometimes is nice, others is terrible, but it's always a constant wonder. An endless life is not life at all, but a
mere existence.

Well at least that's what I think about it.

[TrickWithAKnife]

Well, not completely ignorance of course. But I feel that everyone should be selective about the media they get information from.
It has a very big impact on your way of looking at the world, and your happiness.

[Lekhaka]

Just wondering, is Kuroneko talking about "true immortality"?

'Cause a human that is simply biologically immortal will still find time to be in short supply, I think. You've got to put food onto the table for one thing, since you're still susceptible to starvation. Same goes for uploaded people who needs to keep the electric juices running. The general point is, your daily affairs are still very much limited in terms of time, and you being immortal doesn't magically make everything acquirable.

I think I can imagine what a biologically immortal society will look like. Not too different from what we have right now. But for "true immortality" that's really a challenge....partly because to make oneself indestructible and to have an infinite supply of energy seems to be fundamentally impossible.

[Sapphi]

Jumping in again with a non-philosophical question, just because it's bugging me...

If everyone went digital with their brains, could the shifting of the Earth's polarity as is being anticipated right now be a threat to the human race in a way it isn't currently? I heard people were worried about it breaking things.

[Lishy]

Why don't we start cloning Dick Cheney while we're at it?

[Akjosch]

As for me, the concept of living forever is appealing in a sense, but despite that, I think I'd rather face my death when my times comes. The idea of not having my original body is the part I most dislike.

You won't have your original body when you die (unless you die very, very young, which of course I hope you won't) anyway. Most of it gets replaced in just few years; only bones take a while longer.

[Ragtag]

One thing comes to my mind after reading the article:
We go to war with Avatar now!
No, seriously, I think the US government would want to do something like that once they have the technology.

[tigerkidde]

Others may have touched upon it in the thread, but if the brain is the key factor here for keeping you-as-you, I think even that will die out with time. (i.e. vegetative states, organ decay)

And if such technology is present to prevent or recover from organ decay, then said technology might be used on humans and my pet Wuffie to prolong their cute, adorable, miserable lives (possibly against their will upon request of a wealthy, influential benefactor).
=-=-=-=-=-=
Setting aside, their timeline may be optimistic. This is mostly considering folks at Boston Dynamics or others dedicated to machine learning paths like Andrew Ng, where it takes a good chunk of time to design, test, and build a functioning self-automated machine (or minimal human input).

I wonder if these developers will disappear after the investors have sent over their hope funds.

[PyTom]

I'd be very surprised if uploading happens in my lifetime - and because of that, I won't be around to be surprised if it never happens at all.

One of the cool things about becoming a computer model of yourself is that you get to control the clock speed. So you could make time pass faster or slower at your whim. Making time pass slower is one of the interesting things - an uploaded-human could slow themselves down (making time pass faster) while travelling to another star.

I can't see anything that could possibly go wrong with this plan.

[uselessp]

Hee~~ Basically, if the body died out, you can use the computer interface to do the talking. But since one will be converted into data, that will need tons of space of memory. Sure we don't need to escort the humanity in thousands of spaceships because we were stored inside a portable black box. But I don't want to see artificial scenery like in game, even if its a world like FF.

Even if I were sent into a world like SAO that is so terrifyingly beautiful and dangerous, I would prefer touching real plants and live a tedious life in a war torn land. Besides, if the brain were damaged or unexpected bug happens, that will be the end of our species.

One other thing one should pay attention is that we won't know the outside world's condition if we live inside a fake world. We wouldn't even notice that the earth already ended when we are still inside the eternal dream. I bet on this because humans are ignorant when thee are indulged in happiness.

Plus, except that you imprinted your brain patterns, then you will become an NPC without being able to have affections. Then again, what fun if you can't even see the ending? For me who is just an observer, I would prefer seeing what I can see, and lamenting at what I can't see. Fulfilling my worthless life, even if just by watching my end.

It could be that I am closer to death because I wished for it. But. . . That is why, I want to live to the fullest, knowing that I can die at any second now.

So to speak. . .

"For I am an observer. For I am a mortal, that I wanted to live as one. So that I will fulfill this hunger of mine. The thirst to experience everything before everything ends. Because living as a mortal. . . Is what fueled me to search for my true happiness that existed in the distant future and place. Even if I can't see that, as long as this hope existed, I will continue to live as the observer."

[TrickWithAKnife]

Think of it this way, would you want your children to live in a happy fantasy, or a real Hell?