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Do you think that thanks to technology we could live forever? (Like Bryan Johnson 😅)
Hypothetically, this is already possible with the technology we have.
One of those is "Digital Legacy" – e. g. social media profiles.
But I am thinking more about Mind-uploading
+ When it comes to the physical state of our body, do we have a chance to be there significantly longer? Thanks to biotechnology, genetic engineering and neurotech?
[This discussion was inspired by Bryan Johnson's video where he looks like 20 in his late 40s] 😀
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YanXu
n fact, I don't know if you've ever learned anything about digital life, where all of a person's memories are dumped into a chip that, through its programmed functions, can talk to you in order to let the person who has passed away.
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Yep Nika.
I saw this idea play out in real life and on TV. The show "Silicon Valley" featured it. A real company tried it too.
"Silicon Valley" had this wild plot about a rich tech guy using a "blood boy" for youth. It was in season 4. The show mocked how far some tech folks go to stay young and powerful.
In the real world, a startup called Ambrosia actually did this. They charged $8,000 for young people's blood, claiming it made you younger. No science backed it up.
The FDA shut it down in 2019, saying it was risky. The founder tried again with a new company, but people are still doubtful.
TV exaggerated it, but the real story's pretty close. Both show how some tech people chase weird ideas to stay on top.
@byalexai @busmark_w_nika Sure there are great ethical problems. Regarding the overpopulation problem, a simple theoretical solution would be that people who want to live on should not have kids until there's enough progress with space colonization.
@busmark_w_nika there is the Longevity Escape Velocity movement that is trying to achieve exactly this: extend human life with an higher velocity than what nature "consume" our years of life (for ex: extending human life 20 years for every 10 years that an human live)
Aubrey de Grey, the founder of this movement, stated years ago that the first person who will leave more than 1 thousand years has already born!
It seems crazy but if you listen to the reasons why he states this, it make sense.
The Longevity Escape Velocity movement is tackling everything from a very scientific and logical point of view - i really like when things are approached scientifically (much more than not-scientifically backed theory).
There are also many TED talk of Aubrey de Grey where it explain everything in a very clear manner, just to name one:
@achille_cavinato @busmark_w_nika Yes, our relation to life and death may change very much with a greatly extended lifespan. I agree that it's a very important and difficult question. I guess we'll have to experience it ourselves to find out for sure.
And sure it will be very different for different people. Regarding "wasted existence", we should always also see it from the perspective of the people in question. If they want to live on, it won't be wasted existence just because we think they're doing dumb things. But you're right that the question will become inevitable if living on "makes sense" at all, "higher form of intelligence" or not.
BTW, we would have all those issues with life after death also.
@achille_cavinato @busmark_w_nika I don't assume anything I don't know. And I'm sure we have no way to find this out, at least currently.
Let's first replace the word "forever" - as humans, we cannot even comprehend it I think. And it's probably physically impossible (heat death of the universe ...).
But if we talk about some hundreds or even thousands of years, this sure could be possible soon (a few decades from now). As far as we know today, there's no law of nature that would in principle limit the lifespan of a conscious being. It's just our evolved genetics that make us die so early, it's better for the "egoistic genes".
Nanotechnology and nanomedicine are evolving fast, and I think it's just a matter of time that all age-related illnesses can be cured, and the ageing-related processes be stopped or even reverted.
See e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa.... Much has changed since 2004, but that book explains the ideas very well. I guess Kurzweil still thinks he may make it (he's 76 now).
As to mind uploading, we currently have NO indication that this might work (even though many intelligent people say otherwise). I don't believe in it. In any case, we would have to solve the mind-body problem first (relation of consciousness with the physical world), and maybe we never will.
@busmark_w_nika I also think that the problems before us are bigger than the problems behind us regarding this, but don't forget, scientific and technological progress is accelerating ~exponentially.
If that's ever possible to prolong life with engineering, this privilege will be exclusive to a handful of well-off people given the cost of the technology.
Plus, unfortunately, people don't only die from natural reasons...
Not the happiest statement for a Monday morning I know :D
@natalia_toth why do you think so? New technologies make it very fast today from availability for a few people to availability for "all", see e.g. smartphones and new drugs. And there's no reason that not all illnesses can be cured soon. Of course, you could still die in a car crash or so, but we're making great progress there also.
@konrad_sx First, I would not compare the development of engineering with the development of biology and medicine. Whatever has to do with viruses, or bacteria, or any form of life, is way way harder to tackle because of how unpredictable it is. Mastering the laws of physics is much easier than mastering how living organisms behave and evolve.
Second, I don't see smartphones and new drugs being available to all in 2024. Not at all. I recently came back from Africa, and people there don't even have access to clean tap water and stable electricity, let alone iPhones and vaccines.
@natalia_toth You're sure right that it will be a long way. And that there are more essential problems that need to be solved in poor countries first. Some people are much too optimistic. But the technological and scientific progress is accelerating, that's sure. Including in biology and medicine. And AI is helping. See e.g. the books and articles by Kuzweil (see my other comments here).
I believe with the exponential improvement of AI, we will see significant improvements to our life expectancy.
AI improvement is insane. Now I only code 5% and just talk to Cursor 95% of the time to code for me.
So I'm convinced it will help scientists solve so many things.
While technology has made great strides, living forever in the traditional sense is still far-fetched. Digital legacies are just that - remnants, not true immortality. Mind - uploading is highly theoretical and has many ethical and practical hurdles. Biotech, genetic engineering, and neurotech may extend lifespan, but there are limits. Our bodies are complex systems, and there are still many diseases and aging processes we don't fully understand. It's an exciting concept, but currently more in the realm of science fiction.
Hah, the tech elite's quest for immortality never gets old (pun intended). I remember that Silicon Valley episode too - hilarious but uncomfortable because it hit close to home. Seems some people will try anything to avoid aging, ethics and science be damned. But at the end of the day, no amount of money or weird treatments can make us live forever. Better to focus our tech efforts on improving quality of life while we're here rather than chasing pipe dreams of eternal youth. Just my two cents!
@emilyrosejohnson Why do you think ethics and science speak against it ??
There is no scientific reason against it as far as we currently know (there's no physical law that says "advanced conscious being must die after 120 years" or so).
And once we can cure all diseases and stop ageing, wouldn't it be cruel to refuse that to someone?
Haha yeah, the idea of digital immortality is so wild! 🤯 I think the Black Mirror episode you're thinking of is 'San Junipero' from season 3. Personally, I'm not sure if tech will ever let us live forever, but it's definitely going to keep radically extending human lifespans. I could see us eventually uploading our consciousness into virtual worlds or android bodies. The philosophical questions that would raise are fascinating to ponder! 🤔💭
There was an episode of Black Mirror about that called 'San Junipero'. The characters could upload their consciousness and live forever in a simulated reality. I think we're still a long way from that kind of tech in real life, but who knows what the future holds! 🤖🧠