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IEET > Rights > Neuroethics > Life > Access > Enablement > Innovation > Implants > Health > Vision > Futurism > Technoprogressivism > Directors > George Dvorsky

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Would it be Boring if We could Live Forever?

George Dvorsky

George Dvorsky
io9.com

Posted: Aug 16, 2012

Some futurists predict that we’ll be able to halt the aging process by the end of this century — if not sooner. Would immortality be ecstatically interesting, or would it be horrendously boring?

The prospect of creating an ageless society is certainly not without its critics, with concerns ranging from the environmental right through to the spiritual. One of the most common objections to radical life extension, however, is the idea that it would be profoundly boring to live forever, and that by consequence, we should not even attempt it.

So are the critics right? Let’s take a closer look at the issue and consider both sides.

To help us make sense of the problem, we spoke to two experts who have given this subject considerable thought: Bioethicist Nigel Cameron, the President of the Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies, and philosopher Mark A. Walker, Assistant Professor and Richard L. Hedden Chair of Advanced Philosophical Studies at New Mexico State University.

to read the rest of the essay, CLICK HERE

Image via Semmick Photo/ Shutterstock

George Dvorsky serves as Chair of the IEET Board of Directors and also heads our Rights of Non-Human Persons program. George produces Sentient Developments blog and podcast.
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COMMENTS

Giulio Prisco • Budapest • Aug 16, 2012

YES! Boring like hell! Life sucks! Death is FUN!!!

SHaGGGz • • Aug 16, 2012

No.

melis256 • Denmark • Aug 16, 2012

Not at all, there will always be something new.
Life may seem boring right now but that will change at the same pace as general development i.e. whatever we figure out in the future will surely be a load of FUN!
Also the premise that there are several ways to skip a bit forward in time!
You will decide how long the trip will feel like for you.

Chrontius • • Aug 16, 2012

No. I can start in on all the *really* big and entertaining projects.

Terraform Jupiter?

Dyson sphere?

Settle the mantle of the Sun with plasma-phase life forms?

Build a giant quantum computer out of the bose-einstein condensation inside Neptune?

Take a vacation to explore Barnard’s Star?

Follow that up by building a warp drive to make future vacations more about the exploring and less about the flying?

And that’s just the *creative* ideas off the top of my head. I’m sure BattleBots will come back for another season in light of the new Kuratas mecha by Suidobashi Heavy Industries - at least once it’s out of “Publicly Available Prototype” phase.

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