Question of the day #7
Is it preferable to be mortal or immortal?
As humans, we are aware of our own mortality from a very early age, and the presence of that knowledge pervades everything we as individuals and as society do. If medical science were advanced enough to grant us immortality, should we take it? Or by doing so would we lose a central part of our humanity?
As humans, we are aware of our own mortality from a very early age, and the presence of that knowledge pervades everything we as individuals and as society do. If medical science were advanced enough to grant us immortality, should we take it? Or by doing so would we lose a central part of our humanity?
Tags: 7, day, immortality, mortality, question
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Will on -
If by immortality we mean you can *never* die, maybe that would be too much. Sounds like a Greek myth: someone cursed by never being allowed to die.
If it means you won't die of old age...it would be interesting to see what five hundred year old people would be like. Oldsters now are less tolerant of risk, often more set in their ways. They're sometimes (not always) less doctrinaire than they were in their youth. Would a thousand-year-old man be stuck in 600-year-old routine, disdaining to do anything uncomfortable or risky, and dismissing college-age idealism as a waste of time? Or would he have to reset to an earlier perspective? Don't know.
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Permalink Reply by Josh Wilson on -
Intriguing thought. However, I disagree with the premise. While we are aware of our own mortality, we also have a deep set idea that we aren't supposed to die. If we are all aware that we will die, and that it is supposed to be that way, when they do we fight death as hard as we do?
I think living with the idea that what we do is eternal is not counter to our humanity, but in fact central.
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Permalink Reply by David Hawkins on -
If we alter the characteristics of humanity we alter the way we define it. I don't know if we would lose or gain anything, but it would be different. I do know that it would be very crowded and that the current problems with the social security system would seem mild by comparison.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Ian Richardson on -
How you view the concept of immortality depends very much on your ideas regarding what awaits us after death...if anything. I heartily agree with Josh's statement that 'we also have a deep set idea that we aren't supposed to die'. When someone close to you dies even if the death was expected it always feels so unatural and surreal. I believe every man (and of course woman) is in fact immortal, we all have immortal souls, just not bodies. The question is how are we going to spend eternity when our bodies finally decompose?
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Permalink Reply by David Hawkins on
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What if it is the simple fact that we mortal that makes us try and define good and evil and at least try to be good and live the good life? If so, our mortality might indeed be the most central part of our humanity.
Might an immortal being be less concerned with morality because they could get away with so much more without the consequence of death? If so, would immortality be central to inhumanity?
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Permalink Reply by Phillip on -
Being an immortal would SUCK.
Can YOU imagine being in a war for 200-300 years?
People would be down in the dumps all the time because there would be no excuse to have goals. "I must do this thing before I die." Can't commit suicide because I'm a frickin' immortal.
Anyway, I have holy rollers who come to my front door promising me immortality if I only write them a check. I just tell them that it's an awfully selfish thing to want to live forever and to continue crowding the planet & using up resourses.
Please allow me to die and do not turn me into a zombie.
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