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I had a weird experience on HN some time ago when I tried to argue that death was actually a good thing and was immediately downvoted. It seems people downvote

I had a weird experience on HN some time ago when I tried to argue that death was actually a good thing and was immediately downvoted. It seems people downvote comments they perceive to be "contrarian" [...] You should probably choose another example, since "death is necessary and ultimately a good thing" is the mainstream view, not contrarian at all.

lkrubner 16y ago
That is an astounding thing to say. I can not think of anyone that I know personally who thinks that death is a good thing. Can I ask what country you are in, and what religion and/or spiritual tradition, or philosophical tradition, are you arguing from?
- randallsquared 16y ago
  I'm in the US, was raised as a Christian, and I'm talking about the mainstream view as reflected in the reaction of people whenever the possibility of preventing aging comes up. If you ask, "Do you think death is a good thing?", most people will say, "Of course not!", but when you ask about the possibility of extending life well into the second century, or living for millennia, suddenly objections are all you hear. In fiction, people who live for a very long time are mostly portrayed as being depressed about it -- "I wish I could die" is a common theme in vampire fiction, for example. People seem to want to live another year, but to think that living for another hundred years would be an awful fate. There's a whole industry of people who try to convince people not to attempt to extend their life another year or another six months, but instead just die "with dignity", as though it's not dignified to live longer. It's startling to me that you haven't seen at least the edges of this if you've been paying attention to "bioethics" (a too-self-congratulatory name, in my opinion) and similar debates.
lkrubner 16y ago
That is an astounding thing to say. I can not think of anyone that I know personally who thinks that death is a good thing. Can I ask what country you are in, and what religion and/or spiritual tradition, or philosophical tradition, are you arguing from?
CapitalistCartr 16y ago
I, too, have never found appreciating the upside to death a common or popular view. I'd be interested to know your social circle; it sounds much more interesting than mine.
- randallsquared 16y ago
  My social circle mostly wants to live forever, but that's because I've surrounded myself with transhumanists and libertarians, who are a lot less deathist than the population in general. :)

lkrubner 16y ago

That is an astounding thing to say. I can not think of anyone that I know personally who thinks that death is a good thing. Can I ask what country you are in, and what religion and/or spiritual tradition, or philosophical tradition, are you arguing from?

randallsquared 16y ago
I'm in the US, was raised as a Christian, and I'm talking about the mainstream view as reflected in the reaction of people whenever the possibility of preventing aging comes up. If you ask, "Do you think death is a good thing?", most people will say, "Of course not!", but when you ask about the possibility of extending life well into the second century, or living for millennia, suddenly objections are all you hear. In fiction, people who live for a very long time are mostly portrayed as being depressed about it -- "I wish I could die" is a common theme in vampire fiction, for example. People seem to want to live another year, but to think that living for another hundred years would be an awful fate. There's a whole industry of people who try to convince people not to attempt to extend their life another year or another six months, but instead just die "with dignity", as though it's not dignified to live longer. It's startling to me that you haven't seen at least the edges of this if you've been paying attention to "bioethics" (a too-self-congratulatory name, in my opinion) and similar debates.

lkrubner 16y ago

CapitalistCartr 16y ago

I, too, have never found appreciating the upside to death a common or popular view. I'd be interested to know your social circle; it sounds much more interesting than mine.

randallsquared 16y ago
My social circle mostly wants to live forever, but that's because I've surrounded myself with transhumanists and libertarians, who are a lot less deathist than the population in general. :)