3 ms·

I'm sure various scifi authors have covered this topic to death (pun intended). But something about eternal life just feels so empty to me. And without changes

I'm sure various scifi authors have covered this topic to death (pun intended). But something about eternal life just feels so empty to me. And without changes to laws around euthanasia or suicide, it means being forced to stay alive forever, which is even more dystopian.

xvector 1y ago
If life feels empty to you, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it gets better soon. I feel the opposite - there is so much to do, and so little time. I am also happy and content just... existing. I don't think a social problem (that will be solved in time, and is already solved in some countries) is a reason to prevent this from happening. Social problems can be fixed, death is final. If euthanasia doesn't become legal before, it certainly will be after.
- caseyy 1y ago
  I think they meant eternal life much more in the “I have no mouth, and I must scream” sense. Much has been said and written about the cruelty of immortality, since the myth of Sisyphus and probably before. “The Mortal Immortal” is a story about prolonging lifespan but not healthspan, and also not emotional fulfilment in life — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mortal_Immortal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mortal_Immortal. There are also TV shows (“Altered Carbon”, “Black Mirror” USS Callister and other episodes, “Twilight Zone”) and video games (“Nobody Wants to Die”) about it. What your parent comment speaks about (the vanity of endless life) is particularly explored in Bernard Williams’s “The Makropulos Affair”. Endless life could mean no regard for quality of life and endless trivial pursuits.
  - xvector 1y ago
    Yes, I've read/watched most of those and I believe they are just entertainment. I can perfectly envision people living happy, long lives. These books and shows have manufactured conflict for drama.
    - e40 1y ago
      With our current lifespan I already see lots of people intentionally killing themselves with alcohol or drugs or food. I cannot imagine most people would be happy with eternity.
      - xvector 1y ago
        I know most people aren't happy with how long they live now. The idea is that you'd get to choose how long you want to live instead of having it forced on you.
        Jensson 1y ago
        Yeah, ideally suicide would be 100% of deaths.
ViscountPenguin 1y ago
To be honest, I've never gotten that. The creative output I can manage in a mere 80ish years has never felt sufficient to me. I would love to have the lifespan to be able to take on tasks like selectively breeding Bunya pines, or painting gigapixel collages.

xvector 1y ago

If life feels empty to you, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it gets better soon. I feel the opposite - there is so much to do, and so little time. I am also happy and content just... existing. I don't think a social problem (that will be solved in time, and is already solved in some countries) is a reason to prevent this from happening. Social problems can be fixed, death is final. If euthanasia doesn't become legal before, it certainly will be after.

caseyy 1y ago
I think they meant eternal life much more in the “I have no mouth, and I must scream” sense. Much has been said and written about the cruelty of immortality, since the myth of Sisyphus and probably before. “The Mortal Immortal” is a story about prolonging lifespan but not healthspan, and also not emotional fulfilment in life — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mortal_Immortal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mortal_Immortal. There are also TV shows (“Altered Carbon”, “Black Mirror” USS Callister and other episodes, “Twilight Zone”) and video games (“Nobody Wants to Die”) about it. What your parent comment speaks about (the vanity of endless life) is particularly explored in Bernard Williams’s “The Makropulos Affair”. Endless life could mean no regard for quality of life and endless trivial pursuits.
- xvector 1y ago
  Yes, I've read/watched most of those and I believe they are just entertainment. I can perfectly envision people living happy, long lives. These books and shows have manufactured conflict for drama.
  - e40 1y ago
    With our current lifespan I already see lots of people intentionally killing themselves with alcohol or drugs or food. I cannot imagine most people would be happy with eternity.
    - xvector 1y ago
      I know most people aren't happy with how long they live now. The idea is that you'd get to choose how long you want to live instead of having it forced on you.
      - Jensson 1y ago
        Yeah, ideally suicide would be 100% of deaths.

ViscountPenguin 1y ago

To be honest, I've never gotten that. The creative output I can manage in a mere 80ish years has never felt sufficient to me. I would love to have the lifespan to be able to take on tasks like selectively breeding Bunya pines, or painting gigapixel collages.