4 ms·

What?! Could you please point to a logical system of views and values that would not assume indefinitely prolonging human life is a good thing?

• waps 13y ago
  First, there does not exist a known logical system that is more complex than first order logic. In order for such a system to exist, it would at the very least be able to prove it's own consistency, otherwise it's merely a wild guess whether it's "logical" or not. Since that premise itself violates logic (a proof exists that the only consistent logical systems that prove their own consistency are wrong). So when it comes to "a logical system of views and values", that does not exist. When it comes to systems of views and values that do not assume indefinitely prolonging human life is a good thing : 1) all religions (meaning this is what > 6 billion people on this planet think) 2) when it comes to people over 75 or so, I find it very rare to find ones that don't want to die. It baffles me that I actually know people that old other than my grandfather. I'm getting old. Oh well. 3) various atheist systems of views and values, all boil down to malthusianism of course, but they include : socialism (communism/marxism/leninism and "other" socialist views), nazism, libertarians (to some extent, according to wikipedia), conservatives, "free market enthousiasts", feminists and human rights advocates. [1] 4) economics would have a few words to say on the subject. I don't think it's as simple as you propose. I may or may not chose to become immortal ... but I'd still like the option. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusianism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusianism
• ufmace 13y ago
  For prolonging life 'indefinitely', I'd say it's anything but a foregone conclusion. Possible issues: The world population is getting bigger and bigger. AFAIK, we don't have a real solid idea how many people the Earth can really support. Growth seems to be tapering off a bit now, which is probably a good thing. If we keep the same birth rate and massively decrease the death rate, the population will boom fast. I have to doubt that our society is equipped to deal with these issues well right now. A great deal of social advancement seems to come from older generations dying off, and taking their prejudices, grudges, and viewpoints with them. What will our society look like if large numbers of people stop dying off eventually? I have nothing solid here, but it's something we ought to look at real hard before we go around extending lifespans indefinitely.
• ericd 13y ago
  Basically, I meant what ufmace said - it would likely cause a lot of social problems, and a lot of advancement of thought comes about due to the old generations dying off, and new generations coming of age in the new environment. The new group is always better adapted for the new environment of that later era than the old one is (an easy current example of this is the difference between baby boomers and teenagers when it comes to facility with computers) Adaptability is the thing that has enabled humans to thrive to this point, and immortality would cause a serious dent in our adaptability, unless we also gained the ability to easily radically alter our worldviews, unlearning the concepts that cemented themselves in our brains during our adolescence. Immortality could be very bad for the country that invents it, as they quickly relics of the past.