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I can present two counterpoints: 1. Advancement: Having immortality would reduce the need to re-learn and re-experience everything over and over again. While t

I can present two counterpoints: 1. Advancement: Having immortality would reduce the need to re-learn and re-experience everything over and over again. While the learning and experiencing process in itself is innovative (because just like life itself, it evolves through mutation between one specimen to the other), you could argue that having a 200 years old Einstein around wouldn't be bad for science. 2. Resources: with immortality, the issue of family will be very different. Being young forever, you probably wouldn't feel as great of a need to raise children (which serve, among other purposes, the assure your genetic continuity after death). A rich, self centered, immortal population would probably see a decline in its numbers. The idea of immortality is appealing and frightening all at once. It would create a completely new society and world order, and I'm not sure it's a world I'd (forever) like to live in.

CuriouslyC 10y ago
To play devil's advocate, Einstein did a lot of work after his major breakthroughs that didn't amount to much. To steal a line from Roger Waters, he was a "spent force." To quote Einstein, "You cannot solve a problem at the level of thought that created it." This suggests that in order to smooth the wrinkles between general relativity and quantum theory, someone would have to come along with a new way of thinking. With that being said, I think wisdom is one area that (assuming the right mind-set) can continue to grow richer with age. I think it would result in much better politicians, judges, teachers and similar roles that involve application or imparting of wisdom.
- xiaoma 10y ago
  Beethoven wrote Ode to Joy long after he was dismissed as an irrelevant, deaf old man.
- kiba 10y ago
  This suggests that in order to smooth the wrinkles between general relativity and quantum theory, someone would have to come along with a new way of thinking. There's string theory but it's still unproven stuff. I failed to see how new scientists will actually solve the problem beyond having fresh new minds to look at it from a different direction. Perhaps we don't need old scientists to die, but just new scientists.

CuriouslyC 10y ago

To play devil's advocate, Einstein did a lot of work after his major breakthroughs that didn't amount to much. To steal a line from Roger Waters, he was a "spent force." To quote Einstein, "You cannot solve a problem at the level of thought that created it." This suggests that in order to smooth the wrinkles between general relativity and quantum theory, someone would have to come along with a new way of thinking. With that being said, I think wisdom is one area that (assuming the right mind-set) can continue to grow richer with age. I think it would result in much better politicians, judges, teachers and similar roles that involve application or imparting of wisdom.

xiaoma 10y ago
Beethoven wrote Ode to Joy long after he was dismissed as an irrelevant, deaf old man.
kiba 10y ago
This suggests that in order to smooth the wrinkles between general relativity and quantum theory, someone would have to come along with a new way of thinking. There's string theory but it's still unproven stuff. I failed to see how new scientists will actually solve the problem beyond having fresh new minds to look at it from a different direction. Perhaps we don't need old scientists to die, but just new scientists.