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OpEd Piece on Extended Life Expectancy

Posted by michael on from the read-holy-fire-by-sterling dept.

daksis writes "CNN has posted an OpEd piece from the New York Times that raises some interesting issues. With the current advances in biology, we as a society are facing the real possibility that "immortality" could some day be the norm. What sort of social impact can we expect when/if life expectancies are measured in centuries?"

5 of 832 comments (clear)

  1. Best summary of my position: by Dr.+Manhattan · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Personally, I've been hearing all my life about the Serious Philosophical Issues posed by life extension, and my attitude has always been that I'm willing to grapple with those issues for as many centuries as it takes." - Patrick Nielsen Hayden

    --
    PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
  2. Obligatory by QuantumFTL · · Score: 5, Funny
    Here goes my first attempt at cliche hording.
    without even reading the friendly article, I can already accurately predict (based on my education, which is mostly from slashdot):
    • This means we might actually be around when Duke Nukem Forever is released.
    • Each one of us has a chance with Natalie Portman... Think about it, a nonzero probability (except for you, Cowboyneal) integrated over an infinite time... I can dream at least...
    • In Soviet Russia, forever lives for YOU. Perhaps if we reconstruct Soviet Russia we will be able to figure out what this means.
    • SCO and/or Jeff Bezos already have a patent on immortality. They blatently disregard God's prior art.
    • Think infinite hot grits. Yum.
    • With all the time in the world, we no longer have to only "imagine a beowolf cluster of X".

    Sounds like a blast to me.
    Oh, wait, forgot... we can argue about BSD dying unto eternity as well (and perhaps Apple too).

    Cheers,
    Justin
  3. I don't know about you by prostoalex · · Score: 5, Funny

    But I am planning to insult every person in the Universe.

  4. Me being a Nerd... by tomzyk · · Score: 5, Funny
    and some unlucky folks getting their 60, or worse, 6!
    Isn't 6! better than 60?
    6! = 6*5*4*3*2*1 = 720
    --
    Karma: NaN
  5. Re:population by IWorkForMorons · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ah yes...as if it's not already hard enough for me to find a new job...

    Programmer Wanted. Must have 100+ years experience in object-oriented programming, 50+ years as Senior Developer.

    I wonder if they'll start coming up with new levels of experience? Senior Programmer...Guru Programmer...UBER Programmer...God-like Programmer. As if programmers egos weren't big enough...