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I think you might be missing the point. If MORE people cared about not dying, we might actually be able to find a solution that lets us live longer (if not inde

I think you might be missing the point. If MORE people cared about not dying, we might actually be able to find a solution that lets us live longer (if not indefinitely). Instead, people resign themselves to the "inevitable", and nobody even really tries. Imagine if you could have your 30 year old level of health and brainpower for 1,000 years. Imagine what someone like that could accomplish. Imagine how much differently we would approach reality, if that was possible? Instead, people hit middle-age, and it's all down-hill from there. Their brains become brittle, and over time, they forget the vast majority of what they have learned, until they become borderline useless and die in misery. Why AREN'T you more angry about that fact? Why AREN'T you doing everything in your power to change it??? Immortality is the ONLY thing that should matter, or else everything you do in life is theoretically pointless.

joshkpeterson 11y ago
Because I'm not selfish. Because life on earth is more than just me. Because, thus far, death has been an important part of life, and I have the intellectual humility to admit I'm not sure extending life would be for the best.
coldtea 11y ago
>I think you might be missing the point. If MORE people cared about not dying, we might actually be able to find a solution that lets us live longer (if not indefinitely). Actually our whole civilization has a huge obsession with death and with not dying -- evident in healthcare costs for older patients, cosmetic surgeries, and tons of other things besides. If we die it's not for lack of trying (not to) or lack of medical research that ACTUALLY prolongs life (and we have done great in this regard in the 20th century). Those "anti-death" ideologists are just kooks trying whatever fringe BS they find (including "cryogenics"), and they do more harm than good regading helping good science... >Instead, people hit middle-age, and it's all down-hill from there. Their brains become brittle, and over time, they forget the vast majority of what they have learned, until they become borderline useless and die in misery. Yeah, it's how DNA/animal bodies work. Biology, medicine works on it, but, like AI, space exploration and lots of other hard problems, it's quite a venture. Not some BS thing that will be solved in Kurzweills lifetime if only we want it really passionately. Reading your comment one would think it's caused because we're not willing enough that it doesn't happen...
jackvalentine 11y ago
> Why AREN'T you more angry about that fact? Why AREN'T you doing everything in your power to change it??? Immortality is the ONLY thing that should matter, or else everything you do in life is theoretically pointless. Because I'm not so narcissistic to think that my particular life matters that much. I live well, I try to care for others and when I am gone I am gone. There is no shame in mortality.
seren 11y ago
I am convinced death also help human society as a whole by bringing new people with a fresh view on things. Even in a democratic society, would like to have the same senators or mayor for 500 hundreds years ? Even if we had the mean to, abolishing death would also have dire consequences.

joshkpeterson 11y ago

Because I'm not selfish. Because life on earth is more than just me. Because, thus far, death has been an important part of life, and I have the intellectual humility to admit I'm not sure extending life would be for the best.

coldtea 11y ago

>I think you might be missing the point. If MORE people cared about not dying, we might actually be able to find a solution that lets us live longer (if not indefinitely). Actually our whole civilization has a huge obsession with death and with not dying -- evident in healthcare costs for older patients, cosmetic surgeries, and tons of other things besides. If we die it's not for lack of trying (not to) or lack of medical research that ACTUALLY prolongs life (and we have done great in this regard in the 20th century). Those "anti-death" ideologists are just kooks trying whatever fringe BS they find (including "cryogenics"), and they do more harm than good regading helping good science... >Instead, people hit middle-age, and it's all down-hill from there. Their brains become brittle, and over time, they forget the vast majority of what they have learned, until they become borderline useless and die in misery. Yeah, it's how DNA/animal bodies work. Biology, medicine works on it, but, like AI, space exploration and lots of other hard problems, it's quite a venture. Not some BS thing that will be solved in Kurzweills lifetime if only we want it really passionately. Reading your comment one would think it's caused because we're not willing enough that it doesn't happen...

jackvalentine 11y ago

> Why AREN'T you more angry about that fact? Why AREN'T you doing everything in your power to change it??? Immortality is the ONLY thing that should matter, or else everything you do in life is theoretically pointless. Because I'm not so narcissistic to think that my particular life matters that much. I live well, I try to care for others and when I am gone I am gone. There is no shame in mortality.

seren 11y ago

I am convinced death also help human society as a whole by bringing new people with a fresh view on things. Even in a democratic society, would like to have the same senators or mayor for 500 hundreds years ? Even if we had the mean to, abolishing death would also have dire consequences.