5 replies to this topic

[Mind]

Here is a link to an article that appeared in the Washington Post.

It describes current efforts and the possibilities of living forever. Pratical immortality. It even contains quotes from Drexler and Kurzweil. The article is basically a re-hash of everything we have been talking about for the last year, issues we have already debated over and over... What really struck me is that this is a more mainstream publication and the writer did not trash the idea of pratical immortality. I wondered to myself if we are seeing a turning point (even just a minor one) away from the old religious "die and go to heaven" philosophy. Is immortality coming out of the closet?

http://www.washingto...-2002Oct11.html

P.S. BJ, maybe you should let the Washington post know of Imminst, as an excellent source for information on immortality.

[caliban]

there were a huge number of articles on the topic in the wake of the telomere hype

would you agree that ever since then, the commentaries and analyses have become less and less biased?

.

[dataangel]

ROFL: "Well there is such thing as proton decay."

[Fretull]

Well there is such thing as proton decay

Heat Death is a serious concern, yet let's not throw in the towel just yet:
Heat Death >>

[Casanova]

if we are seeing a turning point (even just a minor one) away from the old religious "die and go to heaven" philosophy. Is immortality coming out of the closet?

Maybe just skeletons rattling in that closet?

Well, there is such a thing as proton decay.

Actually, matter is a solidified precipitation of the Godhead, a kind of "vacation trip" of a part of the Godhead into corporeal forms. So, if matter can be said to decay, it actually just dissolves back into the Godhead, and becomes pure Spirit, again.
Trying to live forever, in a material body, is like not wanting to leave Disneyland But, as another poster wisely said, "While here in corporeal form, why not take a long E-ride ticket, instead of a crummy quick ride"
Makes some sense.
The joke is that no one, no how, can live infintely long in these corporeal bodies; carbon, or silicon.
A time will come when the Godhead will close down the corporeal Disneyland, dissolve all matter back into itself, and all of you will return to where you originally came from; God.
At this very moment, the matter you are composed of is God stuff. This is all really a riot, that none of you can acknowledge who you really are.

would you agree that ever since then, the commentaries and analyses have become less and less biased?

No, just increasinglly materialistic in outlook. Flatland is getting flatter. Much of this is being pushed by corporate capitalism, or rather the new replacement of capitalism, corporatism.
The new corporatism finds that seriousness in the areas of God, morals, ethics, meaning, and purpose, all get in the way of selling products, and making big money.
Nothing can remain sacred in the world of corporatism because it is bad for business.
All that is left is a desacrilized existential vacuum, that is ideal for corporatism, because then the only way for the public to find meaning is through shopping, through frenzied consumerism; and living forever is just another item on the shopping list.

God has a great sense of ironic humour.

Edited by Casanova, 13 July 2003 - 10:03 PM.

[DJS]

The joke is that no one, no how, can live infintely long in these corporeal bodies; carbon, or silicon.

I'm willing to give it a shot.

A time will come when the Godhead will close down the corporeal Disneyland, dissolve all matter back into itself, and all of you will return to where you originally came from; God.
At this very moment, the matter you are composed of is God stuff. This is all really a riot, that none of you can acknowledge who you really are.

God stuff, yeah that's real scientific. Can you prove this, or even put this into a system that is subject to reason? Mysticism, pure mysticism. God is for quitters.

...living forever is just another item on the shopping list.

I realy don't care if you approve or not. And I certainly don't care if you get old and die. It's really quite irrelevant to me. If you get in my way with your ignorance that is when you and I have a problem. When you try to drag me down with you that is when things will get ugly.

Edited by Kissinger, 14 July 2003 - 05:53 AM.