4 ms·

If no one ever died, the world would overpopulate even faster. If nobody ever died, the whole concept of procreation would change profoundly. With first world

If no one ever died, the world would overpopulate even faster. If nobody ever died, the whole concept of procreation would change profoundly. With first world countries already in zero or negative population growth, creating an infinite lifespan would most likely further that trend. And in any case, we're talking about longevity, not immortality. You can still get hit by a bus.

droz 16y ago
Doubtful. I envision a "brave new world" styled world. Bunch of people in prime condition, "endless" amount of time to pair with everyone else. I somehow imagine that people will continue to go at it like rabbits.
- michaelchisari 16y ago
  Well, luckily, your imagination and actual worldwide trends don't line up. As long as we push for women's rights, access to birth control and abortion rights, and move away from economies which encourage large families as sources of labor, we'll be fine, as has already been the case in much of the developed world (and is showing to be the case in the developing world as well).
- lukeschlather 16y ago
  In Brave New World, contraceptive implants are mandatory, and there's a huge stigma around /not/ having an abortion. The stigma around childbirth is a little scary to think about. But all things considered, I think that a society would adapt to limit births by some means if we achieved clinical immortality. And there are plenty of means to limit birth without stopping sex. Just asking people to sterilize themselves would probably be sufficient, especially since recombinant cloning actually is at least a reasonable thing to talk about with current technology. (Sterilization doesn't mean you can't ever have kids, just that it's going to cost you a fair amount, and you will have a lot of paperwork to do.) The concept of clinical immortality, in contrast, hasn't really advanced beyond the legend of the "fountain of youth."
  - pjscott 16y ago
    It's also usually possible to reverse some forms of sterilization. Vasectomy reversal, for example, has a high success rate and is minimally invasive.

droz 16y ago

Doubtful. I envision a "brave new world" styled world. Bunch of people in prime condition, "endless" amount of time to pair with everyone else. I somehow imagine that people will continue to go at it like rabbits.

michaelchisari 16y ago
Well, luckily, your imagination and actual worldwide trends don't line up. As long as we push for women's rights, access to birth control and abortion rights, and move away from economies which encourage large families as sources of labor, we'll be fine, as has already been the case in much of the developed world (and is showing to be the case in the developing world as well).
lukeschlather 16y ago
In Brave New World, contraceptive implants are mandatory, and there's a huge stigma around /not/ having an abortion. The stigma around childbirth is a little scary to think about. But all things considered, I think that a society would adapt to limit births by some means if we achieved clinical immortality. And there are plenty of means to limit birth without stopping sex. Just asking people to sterilize themselves would probably be sufficient, especially since recombinant cloning actually is at least a reasonable thing to talk about with current technology. (Sterilization doesn't mean you can't ever have kids, just that it's going to cost you a fair amount, and you will have a lot of paperwork to do.) The concept of clinical immortality, in contrast, hasn't really advanced beyond the legend of the "fountain of youth."
- pjscott 16y ago
  It's also usually possible to reverse some forms of sterilization. Vasectomy reversal, for example, has a high success rate and is minimally invasive.