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What is your opinion on using technology to prolong life?

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jparkshere

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I'm talking genetic modification, cybernetics, biohacking, or even mind uploading and cryonics and the likes. Do you believe that these can help eliminate incurable disease and give us a longer, quality life?
 
jparkshere said:
I'm talking genetic modification, cybernetics, biohacking, or even mind uploading and cryonics and the likes. Do you believe that these can help eliminate incurable disease and give us a longer, quality life?
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I'll try whatever is offered.
 
Only if it is relatively cheap....we have too many people on this planet already...folks hanging around longer does not help us.
 
I doubt the mind uploading will work as people think it will. If they can reverse or suspend aging so that you have eternal life, sign me up.
 
jparkshere said:
I'm talking genetic modification, cybernetics, biohacking, or even mind uploading and cryonics and the likes. Do you believe that these can help eliminate incurable disease and give us a longer, quality life?
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I’m hoping for a ghost in the shell type thing
 
Nap said:
I doubt the mind uploading will work as people think it will. If they can reverse or suspend aging so that you have eternal life, sign me up.
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If the technology ever exists I think it would be more akin to mind copying.
 
I am not interested in prolonging my life unless it also includes reversing aging.

Who wants to be a 1000 year old wrinkled fossil?

Kinikinau-it0217.jpg
 
Skeptic Bob said:
If the technology ever exists I think it would be more akin to mind copying.
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Right, would essentially be cloning. It would be great for your friends and family as they would still have a duplicate of yourself around after you pass, but it would be a different conciousness with your same life experience. The original, or "you", would still die.
 
Nap said:
Right, would essentially be cloning. It would be great for your friends and family as they would still have a duplicate of yourself around after you pass, but it would be a different conciousness with your same life experience. The original, or "you", would still die.
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It is akin to the StarTrek transporter problem and is the kind of thing that gets my gears turning, especially when I am stoned.

On the the surface it seems obvious that the person who uploads their consciousness won’t get to enjoy the benefits of it. Sure, the “uploaded” consciousness will think it is you and be convinced the process worked. But the you that pushed the “upload” button will be left standing there with his finger on the button in disappointment.

But let’s approach this from a different angle. We copy your mind over into a completely artificial brain and perhaps put it into a cybernetic body. That cybernetic body will be convinced it is you, but the you that pushed the button is still a flesh and blood human who feels ripped off. But what if instead of creating a cybernetic brain identical to yours we just replace every neuron in your brain with a cybernetic neuron, one at a time over the course of, say, five years. It is a LOT of neurons and the rate would be quick, but it would still be one at a time and you wouldn’t feel it happening. At the end of the process your body would have a 100% artificial brain. Would THAT be you or just a copy.

And now consider the fact that over the course of your life the cells you have and the molecules that make them up HAVE been switched out from what you started with. Are you actually the you from 10 years ago or are you just the copy that thinks it is the same person?

Puff, puff, pass.
 
Skeptic Bob said:
It is akin to the StarTrek transporter problem and is the kind of thing that gets my gears turning, especially when I am stoned.

On the the surface it seems obvious that the person who uploads their consciousness won’t get to enjoy the benefits of it. Sure, the “uploaded” consciousness will think it is you and be convinced the process worked. But the you that pushed the “upload” button will be left standing there with his finger on the button in disappointment.

But let’s approach this from a different angle. We copy your mind over into a completely artificial brain and perhaps put it into a cybernetic body. That cybernetic body will be convinced it is you, but the you that pushed the button is still a flesh and blood human who feels ripped off. But what if instead of creating a cybernetic brain identical to yours we just replace every neuron in your brain with a cybernetic neuron, one at a time over the course of, say, five years. It is a LOT of neurons and the rate would be quick, but it would still be one at a time and you wouldn’t feel it happening. At the end of the process your body would have a 100% artificial brain. Would THAT be you or just a copy.

And now consider the fact that over the course of your life the cells you have and the molecules that make them up HAVE been switched out from what you started with. Are you actually the you from 10 years ago or are you just the copy that thinks it is the same person?

Puff, puff, pass.
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Right, did you see the movie "the prestige"?

As far as the process over time model, it would ultimately depend on how our conciousness actually works and how it is seated into our brain. I know they have the brain activity tests, but do we actually know where our conciousness resides in the brain? Is it the entire brain or is it possible that it is a small section that acts as the CPU of a computer. If it is a small section that can't be switched out then ultimately the over time process wouldn't work, but if our conciousness is the brain in it's entirety then it is possible. I'm thinking the best and likely the earliest possible way is to simply stop aging, it shouldn't be too much longer before our technology has reached that point, which is why we may be the last generation to die.
 
Nap said:
Right, did you see the movie "the prestige"?

As far as the process over time model, it would ultimately depend on how our conciousness actually works and how it is seated into our brain. I know they have the brain activity tests, but do we actually know where our conciousness resides in the brain? Is it the entire brain or is it possible that it is a small section that acts as the CPU of a computer. If it is a small section that can't be switched out then ultimately the over time process wouldn't work, but if our conciousness is the brain in it's entirety then it is possible. I'm thinking the best and likely the earliest possible way is to simply stop aging, it shouldn't be too much longer before our technology has reached that point, which is why we may be the last generation to die.
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Yes, I have seen The Prestige and it is a fun illustration of what I was talking about. There is a book called Permutation City that also does it from the perspective of downloading your consciousness into a simulated reality. Except in that case he is a scientist who keeps creating copies of his consciousness to place in a simulated reality to run experiments in until all of a sudden he realizes he is the simulated consciousness being experimented on.

The only way I have personally been able to rectify these thought experiments is to take seriously the idea that the sense of “self” is an illusion altogether. A really, really convincing illusion, but an illusion nonetheless.
 
jparkshere said:
I'm talking genetic modification, cybernetics, biohacking, or even mind uploading and cryonics and the likes. Do you believe that these can help eliminate incurable disease and give us a longer, quality life?
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You have to be more specific. I'm for trying to extend the life and health of people, but there are ethical limits as well. Genetic modification/selection isn't necessarily bad, but using it in a way to do something like breed out Black people or something like that would be unethical.
 
Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. We can keep a body alive for years, but to whose benefit?
 
Hawkeye10 said:
Only if it is relatively cheap....we have too many people on this planet already...folks hanging around longer does not help us.
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Well, that's true. Unless we stopped procreating, people living too long and then babies still being born might be catastrophic because it means we would need to consume much more resources. Unless, of course, we would resort to lab-grown foods, right?
 
FreeWits said:
You have to be more specific. I'm for trying to extend the life and health of people, but there are ethical limits as well. Genetic modification/selection isn't necessarily bad, but using it in a way to do something like breed out Black people or something like that would be unethical.
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I think there will always be ethical issues when it comes to life longevity. But if it saves lives and improves one's life quality and longevity, then I'm all for it. Imagine finding a cure for incurable diseases, but with the help of science and technology. I think people might sign up for it. I sure will... if it's something I can afford.
 
jparkshere said:
Well, that's true. Unless we stopped procreating, people living too long and then babies still being born might be catastrophic because it means we would need to consume much more resources. Unless, of course, we would resort to lab-grown foods, right?
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The Earth will not carry more people than it can carry.....mass die offs of humans is a sure thing.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
The Earth will not carry more people than it can carry.....mass die offs of humans is a sure thing.
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There is no set number of how many people the Earth will carry. What the Earth can sustain changes based on needs of people, efficiency, etc. There is a limit, but we're likely to be colonizing other planets before that ever becomes a problem.
 
FreeWits said:
There is no set number of how many people the Earth will carry. What the Earth can sustain changes based on needs of people, efficiency, etc. There is a limit, but we're likely to be colonizing other planets before that ever becomes a problem.
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Dream On.
 
Did somebody say soylent green ?

The technology first needed to truly prolong life will be perfected 3D printing of replacement organs.

Then it's on to the real future of the human brain.
 
jparkshere said:
I'm talking genetic modification, cybernetics, biohacking, or even mind uploading and cryonics and the likes. Do you believe that these can help eliminate incurable disease and give us a longer, quality life?
Click to expand...

Not too sure on the genetic manipulation. It would depend on what exactly is being modified. For instance, I have no problem with getting rid of genetic markers that cause diseases. I am against using it to enhance strength, intelligence etc etc. DNA is way too complex, not only in what it is but also in how it works, to be playing around with too much.

Biohacking is much like genetic manipulation in quite a few ways so same applies as above.

As for the rest...Don't mind them at all. Though quite frankly if one believes in the afterlife and the "soul" then being uploaded into a computer poses an interesting question. If your mind gets transferred to a computer does your soul get transferred with it? (same would apply with "cloning" if you rank that as part of your OP question)
 
Kal'Stang said:
Not too sure on the genetic manipulation. It would depend on what exactly is being modified. For instance, I have no problem with getting rid of genetic markers that cause diseases. I am against using it to enhance strength, intelligence etc etc. DNA is way too complex, not only in what it is but also in how it works, to be playing around with too much.

Biohacking is much like genetic manipulation in quite a few ways so same applies as above.

As for the rest...Don't mind them at all. Though quite frankly if one believes in the afterlife and the "soul" then being uploaded into a computer poses an interesting question. If your mind gets transferred to a computer does your soul get transferred with it? (same would apply with "cloning" if you rank that as part of your OP question)
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Oh, same and, anyway, I don't expect gene editing to give us superhuman strength or intelligence. I don't think it's even capable of doing it, but to use gene editing to treat incurable diseases? I'm really hoping this will happen sooner than later. As for the issue on our "soul" and being transferred, I can't be too sure. I think it's only your consciousness that will be transferred, but that's a whole nother subject.
 
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