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flamingdem

(39,342 posts) Fri Jun 29, 2012, 03:31 AM Jun 2012

What Would Humanity Be Like Without Aging?

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2011/09/09/what-would-humanity-be-like-without-aging/

The idea behind Drew Magary’s great new book is simple: aging, as it turns out, is caused by one gene. Shut that gene off and you stop aging; accidents and disease are still a problem, but you’ve cured death by natural causes. Now compound that discovery with the fact that any person who gets the Cure simply stops aging. People don’t become younger, they just don’t get older, frozen at their “Cure age.” What happens next?

In an effort to find out, Magary takes us through the life of John Farrell, a New York lawyer who gets the Cure for aging at the age of 29 in the year 2019. From that point on, things go rather poorly for John and the rest of humanity. As one might expect, curing aging doesn’t cure social ills, over-population, ennui, or a host of other human hangups. Mark Frauenfelder has an excellent synopsis of the book over at boingboing.net, and I share his opinions about the book’s bleak tone and high quality

6 replies

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What Would Humanity Be Like Without Aging? (Original Post) flamingdem Jun 2012 OP

Bleak tone and high quality! I am intrigued...! nt MADem Jun 2012 #1

Equally here flamingdem Jun 2012 #2

Fuck this deathist shit. joshcryer Jun 2012 #3

Check out the comments, there's a good variety of opinion there flamingdem Jun 2012 #4

I have a much more positive view of "postmortality." joshcryer Jun 2012 #5

It wouldn't take long before the living were Outnumbering the Dead.. Fumesucker Jun 2012 #6

MADem

(135,425 posts)

1. Bleak tone and high quality! I am intrigued...! nt

Reply to flamingdem (Original post)

Fri Jun 29, 2012, 03:33 AM

Jun 2012

flamingdem

(39,342 posts)

2. Equally here

Reply to MADem (Reply #1)

Fri Jun 29, 2012, 03:42 AM

Jun 2012

I've been contemplating this theme and seeking out movies about aging, de-aging. Strangely it all fits with the health insurance issue and the desire to live as long as we can, but maybe not forever!

joshcryer

(62,287 posts)

3. Fuck this deathist shit.

Reply to flamingdem (Original post)

Fri Jun 29, 2012, 03:47 AM

Jun 2012

Not you, flamingdem, you I like.

Interesting article but I've heard the "death brings meaning" argument before, it was unconvincing to me.

flamingdem

(39,342 posts)

4. Check out the comments, there's a good variety of opinion there

Reply to joshcryer (Reply #3)

Fri Jun 29, 2012, 03:50 AM

Jun 2012

and some opine that death doesn't impact them - they have another conception for personal meaning

joshcryer

(62,287 posts)

5. I have a much more positive view of "postmortality."

Reply to flamingdem (Reply #4)

Fri Jun 29, 2012, 03:53 AM

Jun 2012

I mean, I do believe death is unavoidable, if only because over X time you will change, and thus no longer be your former self. ie, the original you is dead. I think that is true philosophically over time. ie, I am no longer my 10 year old self, he died a long time ago, etc.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)

6. It wouldn't take long before the living were Outnumbering the Dead..

Reply to flamingdem (Original post)

Fri Jun 29, 2012, 03:58 AM

Jun 2012

But at least there would be Time Enough For Love..

http://www.amazon.com/Outnumbering-Dead-Frederik-Pohl/dp/0312077556

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Enough-Love-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441810764

In this mortal era growing old means losing your friends and your loved ones if you live long enough, loneliness becomes all but assured in our modern society as you grow old.

In a society where aging is stopped this process of losing one's loved ones to death as one ages will slow greatly or stop.

For a great many people I foresee boredom as being the biggest problem with immortality, how many sitcoms can you watch in a thousand years?

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