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aubrey de grey
May 2009 
Do You Want to Live Forever?
Posted on Jan 30th, 2007
by 
~C4Chaos
~C4Chaos
Very tricky question. Depends on what we mean by forever. But let's say forever = 5,000 years. My answer would be: Only if I can change bodies when I get bored with my physical body. Otherwise, it would be boring to be in the same body for hundreds or even thousands of years. It would be more like being sentenced in a prison made of muscles, skin, and bones.
TED 2006 Conference Presentation: Aubrey de Grey
Then again, I'm not really obsessed with living forever. I've got no problem surrendering this consciousness from whence it came from. I do it every night anyway. But like most people, I just don't like the idea of physical and mental deterioriation, and pain. So, if physical immortality is an option, I'd take it in a heart beat. That is if I can afford it.
Physical Immortality. I wonder how this would impact our philosophy and spirituality. That's why I want to live forever. So I can witness how immortality would transform society.
The transhumanist in me is rooting for Aubrey de Grey to succeed.
Access: PublicTagged with: Aubrey de Grey, TED, TEDTalks, immortality, life extensions, transhumanism, science, singularity, Transhumanist Week
I do. I also believe that we could,eventually.This reminds me one of my favorite CRAZY people-Ray Kurzweil and his book ”Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever”
WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS CURRENT FANTASY COME TRUE ANYEAY…
Lingchao
Really? You would want to live forever? Or close to it? I think that would be awful. Imagine knowing that you'd see everyone you loved die. It would be a wretchedly lonely existence; I'm not sure it would be possible to even begin to share what such a 'life' would be like with mortals. I suppose it would be the ulitmate spiritual challenge … that is, in still seeing each moment as precious even though you have an infinite number of them.
I'm far more fascinated by learning what it's like to gradually get old and fade and approach death than I would be to learn what eternal youth is like. The former poses a different challenge, sure, but one no less valuable or interesting.
Funny. I was talking with my mum about this not long ago. I think she and I are of the same mind.
“Imagine knowing that you'd see everyone you loved die.”
yes. Siona. i agree. it would be terrible to experience this. i've seen all the Highlander flicks so i think i have an idea :) but as they say in Donnie Darko, “Every living creature on earth dies alone.”
to me, it's a greater spiritual lesson to be able to move on when everyone you know and love is already gone.
but anyway, if and when immortalitly becomes a reality, it would be available to all our loved ones (and future loved ones) too. so it would present more challenges:
– it would definitely change the concept of marriage. imagine being with someone for more than 500 years. would you still have the same spark?
– would you pursue spiritual matters right now if you know that you have more than 1,000 years to live?
– what would it do population growth? to our social structures? to our economy and politics?
so you see, for me, the problem of “wrecthedly lonely existence” pales in comparison to more challenges that would lie ahead :)
~C (for there Can be only One)
I'd like to be immortal, but only as a past time.
To live is to die continuously. So it's only about accepting the constant change, and change is renewal. Thus if you learn to die (give away, non-attach) you are living forever (right now :-)