Human immortality through artificial bodies?

[Lekhaka]

Honestly, if I were to become immortal, I'd rather keep my own body.

I think some sort of modification would be necessary if you want to indefinitely store new information in your memory, since your current biological brain will run out of space. Of course you could overwrite your memory...but most people seem to not want a life like the protagonist of Memento...

Of course, the unsettling truth is that at some point, an age cap would have to be established.

Why is that?

[Victoria Jennings]

I think some sort of modification would be necessary if you want to indefinitely store new information in your memory, since your current biological brain will run out of space. Of course you could overwrite your memory...but most people seem to not want a life like the protagonist of Memento...

I'm all for that. Getting implants, or something to that degree, I mean. But I'd still like to keep the majority of my own body.

Why is that?

Because, if everyone lived forever, and also kept reproducing, society would collapse under the weight of the ever-increasing population. Also, babies > old people. Society needs to be injected with new blood. Obviously, we can't have both babies and tons of old people, so there'd have to be a limit on how old one is allowed to grow.

If all else fails, we could also do the mind uploading thing mentioned in the Cracked article, but that comes with its own slew of unique problems. One being the whole "does your soul carry on" thing people have been discussing.

[uselessp]

Well, immortality can be a very, very high temptation for us mortals. Many wanted that for their own deeds. Even I am interested about that. Here's my opinion as a sci-fi Fanatic.

1. Saves the people with brain-dead diseases. (My highest expectations)
2. Finishing one's regret before they died? You'll know that if you tried dying once. You can at least atone for your past sins by helping in that ageless body until your brain breaks down. (I want to remember that regrets again, but now I'm traumatized after dying once. . .)
3. Having space explorations without the restrictions of the airless space and obstacles regarding no matter what kind of conditions in other planets may help humanity's dream to achieve the end of the universe. (This is perfect for man's dream to shine at the furthest part of the space!!)

Other benefits will be in your mind. You'll try imagine a bit, and voila. You got a shining possibility both for your future and your novel's story.
The remaining bad results of course the mistakes leading to calamity. I don't need to mention. Leave that to your discretion, cause I won't destroy your imaginations for the sakes of telling my trillion bullets of ideas filled head openly.

[TrickWithAKnife]

That's interesting.  Being able to survive in places we wouldn't usually be able to live would be useful.
If we were all immortal, we would have to consider colonising new places, such as other planets, the ocean, etc.

Having the vast majority of the worlds population be of working age would be interesting, but economies would be ruined. I think we would see a much larger gap between the rich and the poor.

[Akjosch]

Having the vast majority of the worlds population be of working age would be interesting, but economies would be ruined. I think we would see a much larger gap between the rich and the poor.

Yeah. The rich would be the immortal ones, ignoring laws and morals regarding stuff like cloning people without their consent, full-body replacement, genetic beautification and modification for non-medical reasons and so on, while the poor wouldn't live much differently from today.

[LVUER]

But if many rich people use that technology, there's a possibility that that technology will be cheap enough one days for the less rich ones (I won't say for the poor, sorry).

[bunbun]

I'm not sure if I'm right, but I used to research about human's mortality too.
Human brain has a lifespan similar to the other parts of our body, thus human brain will die too.
Unless there's a way to make human brain immortal, humans are never immortal.
I hope I gave my point right.
It'll be interesting if they find a way to make brains immortal ^^

[Arelune]

Aside from all the consequenses on demographic etc.
Why do you all want to life forever??? :S Life is better because it has an end.
Imagine a great game that never ends, you can't do anything else except that. After a while you will get tired of it, you'll want to stop.
Immortality seems really boring to me.

[wakagana]

Aside from all the consequenses on demographic etc.
Why do you all want to life forever??? :S Life is better because it has an end.
Imagine a great game that never ends, you can't do anything else except that. After a while you will get tired of it, you'll want to stop.
Immortality seems really boring to me.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Akjosch]

Why do you all want to life forever??? :S

Not sure if I want, but having a few million years of time to find out the answer wouldn't hurt.

[Victoria Jennings]

Aside from all the consequenses on demographic etc.
Why do you all want to life forever??? :S Life is better because it has an end.
Imagine a great game that never ends, you can't do anything else except that. After a while you will get tired of it, you'll want to stop.
Immortality seems really boring to me.

Mostly, the main reason I'd want to is that I'm extremely interested as to where humanity is heading. I wanna see every bit of new technology, and witness every change to society... mankind fascinates me.

[TrickWithAKnife]

As long as you have a story to tell, you have a reason to live.
As long as you have things you want to learn or achieve, you have a reason to live.
As long as you have good friends, you have a reason to live.

I would be grateful for a few thousand extra years.

[LVUER]

I want to live forever because there's so much I want to do. So much that it will take may be hundreds or thousands of years. When I have done all things I want to do, by then surely I've found bunches of new things that I want to do. Really, life is beautiful... it's even more beautiful if you have forever to life.

[Arelune]

It appears we're a small minority, wakagana!

I'm also interested in what humans will do, but not enough to wish for immortality. I've already gotten pretty tired of all the bad things in life. The reason I continue living is because I know all this misery will all end someday, and I can better just enjoy the little happy things. I want to see where I'll end up.
Being immortal, without a means to escape, no way to die, I think I'd go crazy, even if I wasn't already tired. Because that is what immortality is, a prison. There's a difference between living somewhat longer and that.
And then, when the Earth finally dies, imagine having to float in space for eternity, lol.
You know, this actually reminds be a lot of Gerald Tarrant of the Coldfire Trilogy. He killed his humanity and family for immortality, because he couldn't bear not knowing where things went.

I want to live forever because there's so much I want to do. So much that it will take may be hundreds or thousands of years. When I have done all things I want to do, by then surely I've found bunches of new things that I want to do. Really, life is beautiful... it's even more beautiful if you have forever to life

Won't it have more meaning, if you have to choose a few you really want to do? In my eyes it will appear more precious, and so life too. Also, I think after a while you'll take life for granted, which will make you forget what was good about it.

Not sure if I want, but having a few million years of time to find out the answer wouldn't hurt.

I don't think you'll ever find all the answers.

Also shorter lives have more impact. Think about explosions.

[Victoria Jennings]

You know, this actually reminds be a lot of Gerald Tarrant of the Coldfire Trilogy. He killed his humanity and family for immortality, because he couldn't bear not knowing where things went.

Well, I definitely wouldn't kill anybody over it. O_o;;

Won't it have more meaning, if you have to choose a few you really want to do? In my eyes it will appear more precious, and so life too.

Stressing out over choices is actually a good way to make yourself unhappy. If you didn't have to choose, and you could just... well, do anything, you'd probably end up more satisfied. On that same note, maybe we just need to change our perspective on what "happiness" truly is.

...

*reads far too much Cracked* orz