Why do people want to be immortal?

[Xaio30]

I want to learn everything there is, and to do that I need more time. Simple as that.

 

[Esotera]

I'd only like to be immortal in the sense of being able to choose when I died, and on what terms. I'd rather choose to die in 25 years time, or 25 centuries times, and have it be a painless experience, than go senile & wait for a slow death from cancer or complicated health.

Then that's not immortality is it?

Immortality is physically impossible to achieve as a biological organism, because the universe will experience heat death one day. Living indefinitely is close enough to immortality for me.

 

[lionrwal]

Ever read The Boat of a Million Years?

Nope. What's it about?

 

[Sethzard]

I would want to be immortal as long as I could kill myself and didn't age. If I were immortal then I could do anything I wanted, and if it ever became too much I could end it all.

 

[loc978]

Pretty easy: They do not think about the consequences, the pain of a thousand lifetimes, imagine you met the girl of your dreams and then 50 years later she dies and you will never ever die. And this story could repeat itself until you turn insane. Then again a cynical bitter person (what the eterneal torment will twist anyone into) could work around the negative sideeffects of immortality.

I take it you haven't "loved and lost" yet... it really is better to experience than not. Some people are so pain-averse that they wind up missing out on most of life's pleasures.
...also, have you ever forgotten anything, ever? How far back does your memory go? How far back would it go if you were to live a billion years? I really think the whole boredom angle, as well as the insanity angle really overestimate the capacity of the immortal's brain. Immortality does not infer super-intelligence or perfect memory.

 

[MrRetroSpectacles]

Eventually you'd get used to the deaths of others. It sounds cold and heartless but really, death would stop phasing you in the end. Eternity is a long time to cope with it. Besides you could be so influenial to others, your immortality would be tested to provide longer life and cures for others.

 

[Ledan]

*snip

And there was a law stating that nothing can go faster than the speed of light. Yet that has been disrpoven.
Furthermore, my point is not to argue that this "universe" will eventually "die". There are other "universes" out there, formed from other big bangs. An infinite amount of them, that are continually generated. There is no "end" to something like the Universe, it will keep fluxating. Science has advanced exponentially in these last 100 years, where do you think we will be in 100 million years? At a stage neither one of us can understand, and we will have a greater understanding of the universal laws.

If you ever do get the chance to gain immortality, send it to me? Please? Seems like you don't know what to do with it.

 

[Ledan]

To see if things change... to have a new chance at a better life and to be able to experience what life has to offer entirely. The people who live the worst lives should probably be granted immortality until they've had their shot at a good one.

So people should be immortal until they have a good life, then they lose it? I don't think that counts as immortality.

Because it could quell a lot of our fears.

For instance, I have a fear of losing one of my limbs. Particularly, one (or both) of my arms. If I were immortal - or just invulnerable - then that fear would be gone because I could never lose either.

Note that this is the Baccano style immortality I'm talking about. The one where you can a) live forever and b) when something is cut or removed, it just all comes back to you. Arm chopped off? A few seconds later, all the blood comes back into you and the limb reattaches itself. That would be awesome.

Honestly, I don't want true immortality on this Earth because unless we go somewhere else, the sun is eventually going to explode. And then there's the whole bit about the Heat Death of the Universe/end of the universe in some manner. It would, however, be nice to have the aforementioned Baccano immortality at about 27 years old for a few thousand years, or a million or so, just to see where humanity is going.

And, of course, so I could play all the newest video games at my leisure. Also not needing food would save me a whole lot of money, and not needing sleep would save me a whole lot of my already-considerable time, enabling me to earn more money!

On a final note, everyone should go watch Baccano now, no matter your opinion on anime (Hint: The performances are excellent and the humor isn't bad at all). Genius, that show.

The immortality I'm talking about is that no matter what, you won't die. Every kind of injury normal people have will have the same effect on you, albeit death. If your arm is cut off, it's cut off, and you have to stitch it back on to get it back. Just clearing up any confusion I caused.

That's not immortality, that's not even really being a god, its a hybrid between being a zombie and not aging.

Immortality is when you don't age and don't thus die of age. Barring exotic events, you don't die.

And I specifically said you will never die. You will feel all the pain, but you will never die.

A head shot and decapitation will still kill you, that's the trick about immortality.

Not exactly. Sure, the connection to your body will be cut, but the brain cells still exists, and they are still alive, the can still work. You may be reduced to a single brain cell organism, but you will still be alive.

This is becoming pretty ridiculous, isn't it?

Yup . Unfortunately immortality is in the fiction part of sci-fi.

 

[SyphonX]

Immortality is madness defined.

The average human-being lives for what, 40-60 years? By then, they're tired of everything and they are mostly glad to go, reluctant, but glad.

Show me someone who has lived for 1000 years, and I'll show you utter madness and terror. Gods, angels and demons are thought to be immortal. Something to think about.

 

[loc978]

Simple enough question. Every few days it seems a thread involving immortality comes up and I have to ask, why do some people want to be immortal?
I used to wish to be immortal until I realized that would mean I would have to see the death of everyone I grew close to. I would be cursed to live to see the entirety of the human race go extinct, to see civilization crumble, to experience the pain of the Earth being engulfed by the Sun, then be left floating out in space when the Sun consumes our solar system for all of eternity, helpless.

Anyway, that's my view on immortality. What say you?

Why is it that whenever immortality comes up someone ALWAYS says that it would be terrible. It wouldn't. It would be friggine awesome:

Friends: You make friends, you lose friends. Whether you lose them becuase they are dead or because you now live somwhere else and haven't talked to them in 20 years doesnt matter. You lost them, get over it. It's really easy to make new friends, to have new experiences, etc.

Also, if you are immortal you could spend enough time/money or know how to turn other people immortal. So you're "one true love" will be able to share eternity with you. Pretty sweet deal.

Who says the human race will go extinct? or that civilization will fall? As the Immortal you can set long term goals. Like colonizing mars, colonizing other solar systems, galaxies, galaxy clusters. Y'know the whole heat death of the universe? Colonize another big bang cluster! Sure, it could take millions of years to get to another big bang cluster, but by that point technology could have advanced to a point where we can move entire solar systems, and keep them energy efficient.

I honestly think that people who think that Immortality have NOT thought about it enough. You think as if you have no power, but you would be immortal. Which would mean ultimate power. Spend 100 years traveling the globe, another 100 years building up an economic superpower, 1000 years of slow manipulation to control the earth. Invest in artists who will keep you entertained, plan long term goals. And heck, if you grow bored you can go to sleep for 10000 years. Or use people as pawns.

The world would be your oyster. Forever. Enjoy goddamit!

I encourage to study the universal law. Basically, it states that all things, even the Universe, will die one day. Nothing can live forever. Humans WILL go extinct someday and civilization will eventually crumble. It's just a matter of when.

The concept of individual immortality breaks that law. A single immortal could, by the same vague reasoning you employed there, become a catalyst to break the law on behalf of his or her species.

 

[lionrwal]

*snip

And there was a law stating that nothing can go faster than the speed of light. Yet that has been disrpoven.
Furthermore, my point is not to argue that this "universe" will eventually "die". There are other "universes" out there, formed from other big bangs. An infinite amount of them, that are continually generated. There is no "end" to something like the Universe, it will keep fluxating. Science has advanced exponentially in these last 100 years, where do you think we will be in 100 million years? At a stage neither one of us can understand, and we will have a greater understanding of the universal laws.

If you ever do get the chance to gain immortality, send it to me? Please? Seems like you don't know what to do with it.

If I got immortality I'd be happy to send it to you because that's not how I want to live. And regardless of whether the Universe will end, the Earth will get destroyed, and so will any planet humans inhabit at that time, and you will still be left drifting in space.

 

[lionrwal]

Simple enough question. Every few days it seems a thread involving immortality comes up and I have to ask, why do some people want to be immortal?
I used to wish to be immortal until I realized that would mean I would have to see the death of everyone I grew close to. I would be cursed to live to see the entirety of the human race go extinct, to see civilization crumble, to experience the pain of the Earth being engulfed by the Sun, then be left floating out in space when the Sun consumes our solar system for all of eternity, helpless.

Anyway, that's my view on immortality. What say you?

Why is it that whenever immortality comes up someone ALWAYS says that it would be terrible. It wouldn't. It would be friggine awesome:

Friends: You make friends, you lose friends. Whether you lose them becuase they are dead or because you now live somwhere else and haven't talked to them in 20 years doesnt matter. You lost them, get over it. It's really easy to make new friends, to have new experiences, etc.

Also, if you are immortal you could spend enough time/money or know how to turn other people immortal. So you're "one true love" will be able to share eternity with you. Pretty sweet deal.

Who says the human race will go extinct? or that civilization will fall? As the Immortal you can set long term goals. Like colonizing mars, colonizing other solar systems, galaxies, galaxy clusters. Y'know the whole heat death of the universe? Colonize another big bang cluster! Sure, it could take millions of years to get to another big bang cluster, but by that point technology could have advanced to a point where we can move entire solar systems, and keep them energy efficient.

I honestly think that people who think that Immortality have NOT thought about it enough. You think as if you have no power, but you would be immortal. Which would mean ultimate power. Spend 100 years traveling the globe, another 100 years building up an economic superpower, 1000 years of slow manipulation to control the earth. Invest in artists who will keep you entertained, plan long term goals. And heck, if you grow bored you can go to sleep for 10000 years. Or use people as pawns.

The world would be your oyster. Forever. Enjoy goddamit!

I encourage to study the universal law. Basically, it states that all things, even the Universe, will die one day. Nothing can live forever. Humans WILL go extinct someday and civilization will eventually crumble. It's just a matter of when.

The concept of individual immortality breaks that law. A single immortal could, by the same vague reasoning you employed there, become a catalyst to break the law on behalf of his or her species.

And have you ever met or seen an immortal organism? We're talking about a hypothetical situation, of course nothing will live forever. I'm asking why anyone would want to.

 

[anthony87]

To see if things change... to have a new chance at a better life and to be able to experience what life has to offer entirely. The people who live the worst lives should probably be granted immortality until they've had their shot at a good one.

So people should be immortal until they have a good life, then they lose it? I don't think that counts as immortality.

Because it could quell a lot of our fears.

For instance, I have a fear of losing one of my limbs. Particularly, one (or both) of my arms. If I were immortal - or just invulnerable - then that fear would be gone because I could never lose either.

Note that this is the Baccano style immortality I'm talking about. The one where you can a) live forever and b) when something is cut or removed, it just all comes back to you. Arm chopped off? A few seconds later, all the blood comes back into you and the limb reattaches itself. That would be awesome.

Honestly, I don't want true immortality on this Earth because unless we go somewhere else, the sun is eventually going to explode. And then there's the whole bit about the Heat Death of the Universe/end of the universe in some manner. It would, however, be nice to have the aforementioned Baccano immortality at about 27 years old for a few thousand years, or a million or so, just to see where humanity is going.

And, of course, so I could play all the newest video games at my leisure. Also not needing food would save me a whole lot of money, and not needing sleep would save me a whole lot of my already-considerable time, enabling me to earn more money!

On a final note, everyone should go watch Baccano now, no matter your opinion on anime (Hint: The performances are excellent and the humor isn't bad at all). Genius, that show.

The immortality I'm talking about is that no matter what, you won't die. Every kind of injury normal people have will have the same effect on you, albeit death. If your arm is cut off, it's cut off, and you have to stitch it back on to get it back. Just clearing up any confusion I caused.

That's not immortality, that's not even really being a god, its a hybrid between being a zombie and not aging.

Immortality is when you don't age and don't thus die of age. Barring exotic events, you don't die.

And I specifically said you will never die. You will feel all the pain, but you will never die.

A head shot and decapitation will still kill you, that's the trick about immortality.

Not exactly. Sure, the connection to your body will be cut, but the brain cells still exists, and they are still alive, the can still work. You may be reduced to a single brain cell organism, but you will still be alive.

This is becoming pretty ridiculous, isn't it?

Yes, because you keep adding onto the conditions of the immortality that weren't present in the OP. I mean, what are we talking about here? Highlander rules? Jack Harkness rules? Alchemy rules? Lazarus Pit rules? Immortality has been presented in so many different ways that you're never gonna find one clear cut understanding of it.

 

[lionrwal]

To see if things change... to have a new chance at a better life and to be able to experience what life has to offer entirely. The people who live the worst lives should probably be granted immortality until they've had their shot at a good one.

So people should be immortal until they have a good life, then they lose it? I don't think that counts as immortality.

Because it could quell a lot of our fears.

For instance, I have a fear of losing one of my limbs. Particularly, one (or both) of my arms. If I were immortal - or just invulnerable - then that fear would be gone because I could never lose either.

Note that this is the Baccano style immortality I'm talking about. The one where you can a) live forever and b) when something is cut or removed, it just all comes back to you. Arm chopped off? A few seconds later, all the blood comes back into you and the limb reattaches itself. That would be awesome.

Honestly, I don't want true immortality on this Earth because unless we go somewhere else, the sun is eventually going to explode. And then there's the whole bit about the Heat Death of the Universe/end of the universe in some manner. It would, however, be nice to have the aforementioned Baccano immortality at about 27 years old for a few thousand years, or a million or so, just to see where humanity is going.

And, of course, so I could play all the newest video games at my leisure. Also not needing food would save me a whole lot of money, and not needing sleep would save me a whole lot of my already-considerable time, enabling me to earn more money!

On a final note, everyone should go watch Baccano now, no matter your opinion on anime (Hint: The performances are excellent and the humor isn't bad at all). Genius, that show.

The immortality I'm talking about is that no matter what, you won't die. Every kind of injury normal people have will have the same effect on you, albeit death. If your arm is cut off, it's cut off, and you have to stitch it back on to get it back. Just clearing up any confusion I caused.

That's not immortality, that's not even really being a god, its a hybrid between being a zombie and not aging.

Immortality is when you don't age and don't thus die of age. Barring exotic events, you don't die.

And I specifically said you will never die. You will feel all the pain, but you will never die.

A head shot and decapitation will still kill you, that's the trick about immortality.

Not exactly. Sure, the connection to your body will be cut, but the brain cells still exists, and they are still alive, the can still work. You may be reduced to a single brain cell organism, but you will still be alive.

This is becoming pretty ridiculous, isn't it?

Yup . Unfortunately immortality is in the fiction part of sci-fi.

And exactly my point.

 

[AnotherAvatar]

Simple answer to a simple question: fear of the unknown. Death is that big question mark we'll never really understand because on the other side of it we don't exist.

 

[ThreeWords]

Ever read The Boat of a Million Years?

Nope. What's it about?

People who, over the course of history, get born immortal due to some strange genetic twist. Most of them get hunted down as witches or sorcerers, but a few get canny and survive, eventually banding together and finally finding company.

As it progresses toward the future, they realize that they are the only ones suited to space exploration, being able to sit out incredibly long travel times, and decide to head for space. that's as far as I've got...

 

[lionrwal]

To see if things change... to have a new chance at a better life and to be able to experience what life has to offer entirely. The people who live the worst lives should probably be granted immortality until they've had their shot at a good one.

So people should be immortal until they have a good life, then they lose it? I don't think that counts as immortality.

Because it could quell a lot of our fears.

For instance, I have a fear of losing one of my limbs. Particularly, one (or both) of my arms. If I were immortal - or just invulnerable - then that fear would be gone because I could never lose either.

Note that this is the Baccano style immortality I'm talking about. The one where you can a) live forever and b) when something is cut or removed, it just all comes back to you. Arm chopped off? A few seconds later, all the blood comes back into you and the limb reattaches itself. That would be awesome.

Honestly, I don't want true immortality on this Earth because unless we go somewhere else, the sun is eventually going to explode. And then there's the whole bit about the Heat Death of the Universe/end of the universe in some manner. It would, however, be nice to have the aforementioned Baccano immortality at about 27 years old for a few thousand years, or a million or so, just to see where humanity is going.

And, of course, so I could play all the newest video games at my leisure. Also not needing food would save me a whole lot of money, and not needing sleep would save me a whole lot of my already-considerable time, enabling me to earn more money!

On a final note, everyone should go watch Baccano now, no matter your opinion on anime (Hint: The performances are excellent and the humor isn't bad at all). Genius, that show.

The immortality I'm talking about is that no matter what, you won't die. Every kind of injury normal people have will have the same effect on you, albeit death. If your arm is cut off, it's cut off, and you have to stitch it back on to get it back. Just clearing up any confusion I caused.

That's not immortality, that's not even really being a god, its a hybrid between being a zombie and not aging.

Immortality is when you don't age and don't thus die of age. Barring exotic events, you don't die.

And I specifically said you will never die. You will feel all the pain, but you will never die.

A head shot and decapitation will still kill you, that's the trick about immortality.

Not exactly. Sure, the connection to your body will be cut, but the brain cells still exists, and they are still alive, the can still work. You may be reduced to a single brain cell organism, but you will still be alive.

This is becoming pretty ridiculous, isn't it?

Yes, because you keep adding onto the conditions of the immortality that weren't present in the OP. I mean, what are we talking about here? Highlander rules? Jack Harkness rules? Alchemy rules? Lazarus Pit rules? Immortality has been presented in so many different ways that you're never gonna find one clear cut understanding of it.

There are always going to be loopholes in theories and laws and anything. It's simply human nature for me to try to tell people what I mean by immortality.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

I don't want to be immortal. I want there to be a life after death rather.

 

[lionrwal]

Ever read The Boat of a Million Years?

Nope. What's it about?

People who, over the course of history, get born immortal due to some strange genetic twist. Most of them get hunted down as witches or sorcerers, but a few get canny and survive, eventually banding together and finally finding company.

As it progresses toward the future, they realize that they are the only ones suited to space exploration, being able to sit out incredibly long travel times, and decide to head for space. that's as far as I've got...

Interesting, I have to read that.