Would you become immortal, if you had the choice?

couldnt hurt me too bad... Im immortal

If I live long enough they will develop new entertainments. Much like a person from the stone age could now play computer games for the first time if they had lived long enough.

If I ever get ridiculously bored then hell, I can just use advanced technology to erase a chunk of my memories and do them again... but this time do things differently. If walking on the rings of saturn is one of the first things I do, then I can erase that memory and see how different it is when I've walked on the rings of hundreds of other planets.

Meh, what can I say. My genetics has me well trained, I don't want to die if I can be immortal. But I suspect I'm several hundred years too early for that. So, bugger. I'm stuffed.

no. Everyone I love would die and here I would be...all immortal.
And it would happen over and over and over.....

And, if immortality means living forever, you'll be here when and after our sun novas. Ghastly curse, immortality. The ideal situation would be to be able to live as long as you want, to die when you wish.

Heck yeah!
Being immortal would be great from a scientific standpoint. Growing up in the world we live in, and then being able to see the world evolve, new technologies, new people, new ideas. That fascinates me.

do something important that u'd be remembered by..that's immortality

This is a fascinating subject, what got to me the most was JLNobodys's comment about the sun going nova. That's millions of years, imagine all that could be done in that time. Ignoring the fact that the human mind could not withstand the weight of eons of memory, with that much time anyone could shape the world to their liking, hell they could influence all of the neighboring galaxies and beyond. Of course, that would only apply if humanity doesn't destroy itself in the next century.

Would I become immortal? Yes I would, as long as I am able to die, if that's my choice. I've always said, the right to choose is my highest moral.
But of course, just because some one is immortal, it wouldn't mean they'll live forever. You could achieve immortality and be killed by the next day.

It is definitely something to think about, specially for us agnostics and atheists. Since we'll probably poof out of existence while others, reincarnate as hamsters and flirt with angels.

Hey, Eryemil, welcome aboard. I like your distinction between immortality and everlasting life, and I'll second your desire to eventually die. It doesn't have to do with the resilience of the human mind, though, I just wouldn't like the isolation I would feel. If you haven't read Frank Herbert's Dune series, you should; it gives the best portrayal of an immortal perspective I've ever read.

I didn't imagine a difference between immortality and everlasting life; I thought that the latter was the definition of the former.
Anyway, it seems to me that the topic of this thread is PURE fantasy. Immortality is a concept that is entirely fantastical, about as useful as the notion of a unicorn, or, better, a square circle.
But wait. It may be useful for some people in their effort to deal psychologically with their mortality

Immortality = No death.



Not really. Immortality is theoretically possible, not for our generation, but eventually science will make human life spans incredibly long.



Isn't that why we have Jesus?

I agree with theantibuddha, we already have mainstream religions that reward the virtuous with everlasting life.

If I became imortal like their talking you know"eternally young but open to harm", i would do things that take to long for one life span to hold. Like for instance, I would condition my self so that i had the greatest endurance, and so that when i rule the world, i look intimidating. That would be so cool

nah. I would rather choose revers. Instead of being "eternally young but open to harm" I would definitely choose to live normal lifespan but that nothing can harm me - no diseases, no trucks, no guns - nothing
otherwise, we would all love to live a bit longer then average person, but it would be to boring to live forever. and to sad - all those dear people dying all the time - it sucks kinda.

Sleeper, I'm glad you are only kidding. Your statement that "...so that when i rule the world, i look intimidating. That would be so cool." Is SO uncool.

The purpose of this thread is, of course, to provide us with hypothetical recreation. There's no chance of immortality, even with the bionic revolution of biodesign research. If we were serious, the question of the thread might be something like "How do you folks REALLY adjust yourselves to the reality of your mortality." But, then, that wouldn't be recreational. And it's dreadfully square of me to even mention it.

JLNobody, square? (laughing, laughing) You are really dating yourself.

Actually, there is something creepy about this thread. Don't vampires live forever?

Good points, Sunlover: my age and the vampires.

*Gasp* You've found me out!!

Anyway; JL, you bring up a nice follow-up to this:

I'd be interested in people's views on the reality, instead of the fantasy. For myself, I view death as more of a transition. Since I don't know what lies "beyond", I look at it like this: If I lead a virtuous life, nice to everyone, etc., when I die, either a)Theists are right, and I'll go to heaven, or b)atheists were, and I'll simply blink out of existence, so it doesn't matter anyway. I really see death as something that connects, since, other than being born, it's something that everyone has in common, thus bringing us all together.

What are other people's thoughts?

Taliesin, I have to leave for a few hours. I'll address your question when I return. It's a good one. I hope many people respond to it.

immortality


I, too, see "death" as a transition or, hopefully, a graduation to some higher level -- that being as a helpmeet to my fellow man/woman, animal, bird, etc. here on earth. I (the spirit, mind, or part of me that doesn't die) would, of course, leave the used up body behind.

Taliesin, I've said this before on some thread, but I repeat it here for its relevance. I've often wondered why people are so concerned about "after life" (and the corresponding notion of death) while giving no thought to "before birth." I think our post-life situation will be no different from our "pre-life situation. At least I know of no evidence, except for the mythological scriptural pronouncements of different relilgions, to the contrary.
Moreover, the notion of "death" as a negative state of existence, makes no sense to me. The term, death, must refer to a state of non-existence which, as far as I'm concerned, is a non-state. After my life has ended there will no longer be a "me" who occurpies a state of death. I believe that there is also no "me" to occupy this state of life currently experienced, but that's another matter I Twyvel and others have discussed elsewhere.
Note that I am not denying the meaningfulness of "death" in order to deny my own inevitable end. I WILL undoubtedly cease to exist, but that does not imply a soul that will continue in some gaseous form, or an "ego" that will persist in some kind of oblivion. When I die, there will be absolutely no problem just as there was no problem before my birth.
Just another unproveable perspective.