Why is scientific progress more important than life itself? Would you tell a society of immortals living in an idyllic and peaceful village that they need to d

Why is scientific progress more important than life itself? Would you tell a society of immortals living in an idyllic and peaceful village that they need to die "for science?" Societal issues can be solved without science. Once you tackle scarcity and long+healthy lives, science becomes much less important. Anyways, the pace of scientific progress is irrelevant if you live forever. You would experience infinitely more net progress if you were immortal.