Poll: Immortality, with a price.

[MegatonDesign]

If immortality ever becomes scientifically possible, it will introduce a plethora of new philosophical and existential questions. What I am most concerned about would be over population - over population is already becoming an issue, and if the ability to live forever is at some point achieved, what implications would it have? The fairest way to maintain a balance in my opinion would be for the candidate to sign a document stating that after the operation, they would no longer be able to have a child (The sterilisation could be done in the same operation). In this way, the candidate does not alter the population number, albeit that they will not die (unless from an outside means, illness etc).

So what is the escapists opinion? Would you consider becoming immortal, even if it meant you could not raise a child?

 

[Rednog]

Question: Are we talking immortality like vampire style, where you're essentially not aging, but still quite killable? Or are we talking you're not aging and no amount of damage is going to destroy you? Because in the first case it is a bit silly to force someone to be sterile because tons of people die each year to non natural causes and the non aging people would easily fit in this category. Which I don't think would really fuel a huge over population crisis.

But say the second case, then yes I would become immortal even if it meant I could not have a child.

 

[MegatonDesign]

Question: Are we talking immortality like vampire style, where you're essentially not aging, but still quite killable? Or are we talking you're not aging and no amount of damage is going to destroy you? Because in the first case it is a bit silly to force someone to be sterile because tons of people die each year to non natural causes and the non aging people would easily fit in this category. Which I don't think would really fuel a huge over population crisis.

But say the second case, then yes I would become immortal even if it meant I could not have a child.

This is just the ability to live forever at whatever age you happened to be at when you had the operation, so yeah you're still very killable.

 

[gazumped]

You don't seem to have taken into account that some people don't want children. That wouldn't be a price to pay in my eyes, in fact if I could get some free sterilisation as well it'd just be a bonus.

 

[Avistew]

I already don't want to bear children, so it's an easy "yes" for me.

EDIT:

You don't seem to have taken into account that some people don't want children. That wouldn't be a price to pay in my eyes, in fact if I could get some free sterilisation as well it'd just be a bonus.

Exactly. For me the question is a bit like "if you could get free cake but you had to also get free candy, would you do it?" Knowing I don't run the risk of getting pregnant anymore would be something I'd pay a lot for to begin with.

 

[Section Crow]

yeah i would go for it

+ why bring more people into the world when you can adopt one that's already in the world!

 

[MegatonDesign]

You don't seem to have taken into account that some people don't want children. That wouldn't be a price to pay in my eyes, in fact if I could get some free sterilisation as well it'd just be a bonus.

That's not the point, the point is to keep the population number stable. No children, no growth.

 

[JoJo]

No, for I have no wish to live forever, and the only really important aim in my life is to bear and raise several children. Also immortality would make the world boring as far fewer new people would be produced and so everything would just end up stuck in a rut. I love life, but I know I can fit in all I need to see within 80 or so years, and I want to give someone-else the chance to experience the greatness of life too. If that means I must have a finite life-span, then so be it.

Edit: One problem for the several of you who have already mentioned adoption as an alternative, there's only a limited supply of orphans or abandoned children in the world and if suddenly a whole load of people decide to do that combined with a sudden large halt in reproduction could lead to a huge child shortage. You'd have to jump in quickly before the "stocks" ran out.

 

[Avistew]

You don't seem to have taken into account that some people don't want children. That wouldn't be a price to pay in my eyes, in fact if I could get some free sterilisation as well it'd just be a bonus.

That's not the point, the point is to keep the population number stable. No children, no growth.

I totally get that it's where the question comes from: if people never died and had children who also never died and had children, etc, the world would be way overpopulated. But it doesn't change the fact that it's a different "price" for everyone, for some it's more of a prize, really.

I don't doubt that many people wouldn't feel it's worth it, as they would want children too much. For others, though, it's an easy choice, or really not even a choice at all.

If people already have children, do they still get to pick, though? It seems unfair to the people who have none and can't ever have any that some people who already have some can. So would people with kids be disqualified automatically or something?

Because I think if for them the question is "you'd have to go back and never have your kid(s)" rather than "you can't have more kids", their answers would probably be different.

 

[Purple Shrimp]

i wouldn't want to become immortal regardless, and not being able to have children would push my decision even further towards no

 

[JMeganSnow]

I'm going to assume that "immortal" in this context means "your body can repair itself in perpetuum" and not something stupid and physically impossible like "you can't be killed by anything, ever, not even being shot into the sun".

And, yes, I'd totally take that over being able to have a kid. Since I have no interest in having kids anyway. I hate kids. It would not bother me in the slightest if no one ever has children ever again.

 

[Doge Dominico]

I would become immortal and devote my life to find a way to bring the supernatural in to reality, creating a demonic monster that I would call my child just to spite humanity and it's rules.

Basically, yes, I don't like children anyway.

 

[Kargathia]

"I grabbed a pile of dust, and holding it up, foolishly asked for as many birthdays as the grains of dust. I forgot to ask that they be years of youth. "

 

[manythings]

My understanding is that the human brain is believed to be, optimistically, capable of working for 150 years before the sheer fatigue and loss of brain mass overcomes you so unless you can regenerate AND improve neural tissue indefinitely immortality is impossible.

 

[TimeLord]

Stay at 20 years old forever and and get to wear my trechcoat forever and never have to spend thousands on my entitled spawn?

Yes please!

 

[AgentNein]

Sure, make me immortal. I was planning on adopting in the future anyway.

Hop to it.

 

[MegatonDesign]

You don't seem to have taken into account that some people don't want children. That wouldn't be a price to pay in my eyes, in fact if I could get some free sterilisation as well it'd just be a bonus.

That's not the point, the point is to keep the population number stable. No children, no growth.

I totally get that it's where the question comes from: if people never died and had children who also never died and had children, etc, the world would be way overpopulated. But it doesn't change the fact that it's a different "price" for everyone, for some it's more of a prize, really.

I don't doubt that many people wouldn't feel it's worth it, as they would want children too much. For others, though, it's an easy choice, or really not even a choice at all.

If people already have children, do they still get to pick, though? It seems unfair to the people who have none and can't ever have any that some people who already have some can. So would people with kids be disqualified automatically or something?

Because I think if for them the question is "you'd have to go back and never have your kid(s)" rather than "you can't have more kids", their answers would probably be different.

Of course it's a different price for different people, but it only really seems fair. I know it seems harsh but it would seem like the only way to keep everything balanced. There are countries that impose one child policies, such as China (i know it isn't black and white with China, but it does demonstrate the effect of overpopulation).

As for people who have children already, I have no idea; immortality is such a huge issue that i don't think i can truly answer this question.

 

[Mr.Squishy]

win-win is how i see it

This. I hate kids, but want a lot of time to do whatever the fuck I want with my life. If I get bored of life, I'll fellate a shotgun.