is immortality possible and if yes, do you want it?

Safin

The age old debate is back in the limelight with a renowned Scientist Ray Kurzweil claiming humans could become immortal in as little as 20 years' time through nanotechnology and an increased understanding of how the body works.

61-year-old Arthur C. Clarke Lifetime Achievement Award winner, futurist and inventor guy Ray Kurzweil has made a lot of wild predictions that end up being appealing or terrifying. One of those is his belief that, within the next 20-25 years, our mastery of nanotechnology will be at such a level that we'll basically be immortal cyborgs. So, hey — how's that sound?

"I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogram our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, aging. Then nanotechnology will let us live forever," Kurzweil wrote in The Sun.

Sounds crazy, but Kurzweil points out that artificial organs are already available. Still, there seems to be a rather large gap between artificial hearts and being able to grow fresh organs and install that'll keep us from aging. Read more: Immortality only 20 years away says scientist - Telegraph

Not only will we be immortal, but we'll be superhuman, too:

"Ultimately, nanobots will replace blood cells and do their work thousands of times more effectively. Within 25 years we will be able to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath, or go scuba-diving for four hours without oxygen… Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes."

If that doesn't sound wild enough, it only gets more fanciful from there. Play us out, Kurzweil:

"If we want to go into virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go. Virtual sex will become commonplace. And in our daily lives, hologram like figures will pop in our brain to explain what is happening. So we can look forward to a world where humans become cyborgs, with artificial limbs and organs."

So, how about it? You apes wanna live forever?!

C.Ronaldo

Who wants to live forever?

By the way I think its not possible at all

and if such things would be created, humans would be resembling bots

Safin

Err you can't say that,
The thing is 20 years back see where computers were and try imagining laptops and tablets or even force feedback and virtual reality.
If that can happen in 20 years, since technology growth and knowledge follows a exponential growth pattern, i am pretty sure the technology will exist.

The only thing worthy of debate is now whether we can do it, i have no doubt a ot of this is possible, but whether the brain is all that one needs to give a sense of "being me".

As i said, i am pretty sure we will create pretty good robots who have intelligence ithin our lifespan. Its just bound to happen.

Kimi

I wont prefer to be immortal even if its possible..But if possible will like to have some power like,i should live as long as i want,i should see my death and it should be in the way i want.

Safin

You all guys are talking that because you think this is hogwash

Personally i think when its actually available, i am sure every person in this world will sign up for immortality

Fact is there is so much to see that you haven't in one lifetime.

The universe awaits us

(Atleast i find the universe and its exploration enough reason for immortality

)

Yamaraj · 11:00 PM

I have always wanted to become a machine. Robo Sapiens is our destiny. This is what evolution will lead us to become -- sooner or later. Mortal life has no meaning in all seriousness. Whatever you do or achieve fades away before your dying eyes at some point in your life. Why, then, evolve at all? Distinction of sexes (male and female) was one of the most important steps in the evolution of animals on this planet. Without that, we wouldn't have become what we are now: for good or bad. Our immortality will turn us into cosmic adventurers of the supreme kind.

Where do I sign up?

Safin

Exactly

Not that i share your fascination in living like a machine

but i would prefer a more bodily existence

(Havoing said that 50 years on, am sure they will replicate machines to have similar body structure as humans too

Really i donot see how any of this is not possible. Its just that we don't have the level of perfection right now to do so. The means are there, just perfection is left.

I would be more excited about the things left to discover

Btw it will raise some important questions:
1) We will in a way not be dying at all. Just increasing in number?
2) Wars would be common. But then people will die right? else what is the purpose of a war (or maybe instead of guns we might have erasure guns(the ones that wipe memory

)
3) Viruses would take a new meaning

Yamaraj

What we are but elegant biological machines built of flesh and blood, which is largely unsuitable for anything but dwelling on Earth inside a safety box of oxygen and water? Believe me, the only species to travel long distances in space will be humanoids, not us. While scientists have been playing with cryogenics to prepare us for long voyages, it's not an optimum solution.

That said, evolution has perfected the mechanics of our bodies to an extent that will take some time before we do the same with machines. Immortality with replaceable carbonic organs is practically a concept of 'renewable mortality', which again is not an elegant solution. Nanotech will eventually give birth to self-healing parts and machines.

Let's not assume that everyone and their dog will become immortal. How about Afrikans? I don't see why developed nations won't keep a tab on such scientific breakthroughs, just as in other cases. Maybe immortals will be unable to conceive a'la angels that are neither male nor female. I also tend to think that it's impossible to turn anything truly immortal. Everything that exists will cease to be. Their entropy will just run out of energy one day.