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You have to understand a person's motivations to understand that person. Kurzweil doesn't want to die. He wants to live forever, in some form. Once you understa
by cbozeman 6y ago
You have to understand a person's motivations to understand that person. Kurzweil doesn't want to die. He wants to live forever, in some form. Once you understand that, you'll understand why he's so bullish on AI, gene therapy, lifespan extension, etc.
- ilaksh 6y agoNo rational person should want to die unless their life is full of suffering and they have no hope of recovery. People who truly understand technology can be very optimistic about it's potential.
- enw 6y agoNo rational person should want to live forever knowing the progressive deterioration of biological bodies.
- ben_w 6y agoI hope you’re aware that progressive deterioration is the first thing that the people working on this want to solve.
- m4rtink 6y agoExactly - if someone says immortal they usually mean "forever young" or equivalent. Deterioration is not really compatible with forever anyway.
- ilaksh 6y agoReally that's the fundamental misunderstanding here. The idea is to prevent or recover from age-related disease and degredation. Certainly most everyone likes the idea of staying healthier as they age. This is just progressing that idea with speculation about potential technologies.
- ardy42 6y ago> No rational person should want to die unless their life is full of suffering and they have no hope of recovery. Or, no rational person should want to live, because life is mostly drudgery and inconvenience and it also includes a fair amount of pain and anxiety. If you're a materialist, death would free you from that and any regrets about missing out on any positives or guilt about unfulfilled obligations.
- bambax 6y agoOf course rational people should want to die. Death is a good thing on the whole. If we cease to die then humanity is doomed. Young people need to invent a world of their own at each new generation; if old people (and therefore, old ideas, old prejudices) never die then there is no room for new. Additionally, from a practical perspective it becomes indefensible to make new people (have kids) because where will they all go? Not dying is the most selfish attitude imaginable; that level of selfishness is irrational.
- goatinaboat 6y agoif old people (and therefore, old ideas, old prejudices) never die then there is no room for new. This is a profoundly ageist viewpoint that sadly is very common in our industry. That’s why 40-somethings are laid off so 20-somethings can reinvent the wheel yet again in the shitty “framework” that’s fashionable this week. In every other industry, medicine, law, science you name it, experience is prized.
- teruakohatu 6y agoI think the op is arguing against having immortal 200 year old cyborgs running the world, not putting 40 year olds out to pasture.
- ben_w 6y agoIf I had 50 years experience as a business leader, 50 more as a software developer, another 50 as a UI/UX designer, and 50 as a digital security consultant, I would be more valuable than 4 people who had 50 years each, because what would be meeting between the four would be instant and complete awareness of all issues and without communication ambiguity for me. Certainly there would be need of a different economic model in a mortality-optional world so that young people who have yet to celebrate their first centennial can thrive, but that was also true when industry replaced feudalism and people started to stay in school until 21 (YMMV) instead of starting families the moment puberty hit.
- 6y ago
- Disruptive_Dave 6y agoDeath is perhaps the most rational concept I can think of.
- m4rtink 6y agoExactly - any person dieing is a failure of society. Simple as that.
- dredmorbius 6y agoMaybe. Maybe not. https://existentialcomics.com/comic/372 https://existentialcomics.com/comic/372