Poll: Immortality, with a price.

[tzimize]

Immortality is its own price.

Ninjad. Also, yes. Fuck children.

Yeah.
It is my aim to become immortal so anything that simplifies my eternity is a plus in my book

Just curious. How exactly are you working towards that goal?

 

[Creator002]

I'm sorry, but I don't see the consequence.

I actually don't like children, so if I could be immortal, as long as still killable, I would definitely be so.

 

[GeorgW]

I'm still young and want to breed an offspring at one point. But I could do a lot with that many years, and I feel like I have a lot to give. I could still find a partner, for ever, and adopt a child. I'd like to spread my genes, they're pretty nice, with a family of no illness and a lot of scientist, but I'd still probably choose immortality.

 

[akfg666]

adoption FTW ;D

 

[DanielBrown]

At the moment I don't really see me having kids anyway, so it'll be a win-win situation for me.

 

[Ham_authority95]

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?

If people became immortal, than people wouldn't want children any more.

Immortality would bring wonderful standards of living to the world. Higher standards of living=less children. Just look at the situation in Europe.

 

[Avistew]

Hmm, that's true. But I think there are enough kids that need to be adopted that it would seem a bit pointless to have people have kids specifically for the immortal people.

Not necessarily. First, adoption is hard. A lot of people want to adopt who don't get to. One of the reasons so many people don't adopt is that it's just too hard to do, when it's comparatively easier to "make your own" as most people can. Having someone have children especially for you could remove that.
Secondly, there might be a lot of people to adopt NOW. But how many of them were unwanted children who just won't be born in the future if their parents are given the choice to be immortal as permanent birth control? It's likely that a significant portion of people who have unplanned children but wanted children later on do keep them.
And finally, another reason many people have biological children (aside from the fact adopting is hard) is that they want a kid who looks like them, who shares genes. If you could get your sibling for instance to have kids "for you", then that would allow for a kid who shares some of your genes.

I can definitely see people cheating the system that way.

 

[Griffstar]

This isn't immortality, so no.

 

[SuperNova221]

Yes, I don't really want children anyway. And if I'm still killable, none of the negatives of being immortal either.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Yes, though overpopulation won't be a concern once we move into space.

 

[Avistew]

Hmm, definitely have to agree on the first and third points. For the second point, I was under the impression there are a lot of unadopted kids, but I don't feel like looking it up right now. But regardless of that your point stands so I'm not quite sure how to deal with something like that. It would seem good to allow them to do it since in principle there's no problem and it would help to have those kids adopted, but that problem would need to be addressed first...

Yes, there is a lot of unadopted kids right now (despite the fact that there is also a lot of people who want to adopt and don't get to. Kind of like how blood is always needed but many people who want to donate theirs aren't eligible), but my point was that once this system has started and this generation of adoptable kids has been adopted, will there be many more kids to adopt?
I think most of the kids to adopt aren't kids whose parents died, but kids who were given up for adoption by their birth parents, because they were unplanned and the bio parents couldn't or wouldn't take care of them (be it financial issue, not feeling able to, etc).
If the immortality thing was to happen, a portion of the people who nowadays give up kids for adoptions (or rather, the next generation's equivalent) wouldn't have kids to begin with, because they would have picked immortality instead. So the pool of available kids to adopt would be reduced pretty early on as less and less kids are born unwanted/unplanned, and as a result less and less kids are given up for adoption.

So, long-term, there wouldn't be many kids to adopt anymore. People who decide not to become immortal because they'd rather have kids are also less likely to give up these kids once they do have them, unless they had them specifically for someone else (sibling, best friend, etc) because obviously having kids is something they want.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

I hope to die sooner rather than later.
Immortality is the worst thing ever.

And I have always hated children.

 

[Donbett1974]

Only a fool wants immortality doing the same thing over and over again. Reliving old stories with friends. People drink when they do this why because its boring as hell. Whoms to say that a million years from now the humans that did not become immortal are now living energy and your just a talking monkey.

 

[Salad Is Murder]

Would we be able to decapitate each other to gain powers?

THERE CAN ONLY BE OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNEEEEEEEEE!!!!!*lightning strikes for no apparent reason*

HEEEEEEERE we are! Born to be kings/queens, we're the prince/princess' of the UUUUUUUniVERSE!

 

[fragmaster09]

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?

this was a book, they have a drink that does that, but wouldn't people hate it after a while? i man, after the novelty wore off of jumping in front of vehicles etc, you would WANT to die, do anything to do so, be depressed and constantly try to kill yourself(like that rabbit in that kid's film 'Igor'), cutting yourself, cutting off your head, dynamite, all the rest

 

[fragmaster09]

Would we be able to decapitate each other to gain powers?

THERE CAN ONLY BE OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNEEEEEEEEE!!!!!*lightning strikes for no apparent reason*

HEEEEEEERE we are! Born to be kings/queens, we're the prince/princess' of the UUUUUUUniVERSE!

yeah but we don't want the one guy to know everything, or any spanish men to die REALLY unconvincingly with obviously-foam wall falling around them...

(Highlander reference if you don't get it)

 

[Salad Is Murder]

I just don't understand why they had the French guy play the Scottish guy, then the Scottish guy play the Egyptian Spaniard (WTF!?)...seriously.