Hello Once Again Gang,
In several Science Fiction novels that have
explored "The Immortality Option", the ones that come to mind include
"Against the Fall of Night" and "The City and the Stars" by Arthur C.
Clarke, and finally "The Giants Trilogy" by James P. Hogan, didn't
immortality lead to a stagnation in the societies (whether human or
alien) that chose it?

The stagnation as depicted in these novels was usually cultural,
scientific, and technological. From the stand point of evolution (both
biological and cultural) isn't death a good thing? It leaves the way
open for new experiments in humanity. Meaning new people replace the
old, thus bringing forth new thoughts, ideas, and concepts into the
world. Could we view death as an important factor in our continual
evolution as a species and a society? Could we view "The Immortality
Option" a form of "Temporal Imperialism" robbing future generations of
their place in the world?

In the novel "Tech-Heaven" Linda Nagata presents a future Earth where
nano technology and cryonics is perfected. These breakthroughs cause
huge sociological disruption. The future society depicted in the novel
comes up with an interesting solution, they decide that all cryonauts
who are revived and immortals should emigrate to space.

I only present these questions to open this topic for what may prove an
interesting discussion.

Alex

On 8/17/05, Alex Michael Bonnici wrote:
(...)
> In the novel "Tech-Heaven" Linda Nagata presents a future Earth where
> nano technology and cryonics is perfected. These breakthroughs cause
> huge sociological disruption. The future society depicted in the novel
> comes up with an interesting solution, they decide that all cryonauts
> who are revived and immortals should emigrate to space.
(...)

A similar option was used by Greg Bear in his novel Moving Mars,
written in the same year as Tech Heaven. There were guys called eloi
(strange reference to H.G. Wells here...) who, through deep biological
reengineering, achieved an estimated lifespan of over 1,000 years. And
those were forced by law to emigrate to space.

Just one problem. What if immortals get bored of life? In Heinlein's novels
dealing with thic issuse, people have a human right to end his own life in
comfortable surrounding of his choice. I'm sure after 300 years to 2,000 years
of lifetime, nobody would argues against this. Heinlein also deal with the
problem of stagation by having Lazarus Long staring a company in which he break
paths to new colonies for people, knowing that open space will provides a
outlet for creative energy.

Carl Mullin, President
Van Gogh Mobile Company
3545 Tiemann Ave., 2Fl.
Bronx, NY 10469
718-231-7063
cell 646-240-0045
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The more you love, the more you can love-and the more intensely you love.
Nor is there any limit on how many you can love.
If a person had time enough, he could love all of the majority who are decent
and just.
-Robert A. Heinlein (Time Enough For Love)

--- In spacesettlers, Ravenart wrote:

> Just one problem. What if immortals get bored of life?

You can get plenty board in 40 years. How do we short-lived types
deal with this, and how many of us advocate shrtening the life-span as
a way to deal with it?

Five hundred years of the lifestyle I have now doesn't seem all that
attractive, but we have to remember that immortals will live in a
world that includes the Earth and all space, and will have options
that even the most rich and powerful are denied today. And everybody
is going to richer than Gates. They will even have the option to
change their bodies and see what a couple of centuries as a centaur or
a Thark (to name just two possibilities) would be like.

> In Heinlein's novels dealing with thic issuse, people have a human
> right to end his own life in comfortable surrounding of his choice.

Sounds good to me. When age and disease can't kill you, and if one
lacks the imagination to find something interesting to do, then said
person should have the option of ending it all.

> I'm sure after 300 years to 2,000 years of lifetime, nobody would
> argues against this.

I'm sure that somebody will. There's always somebody who will argue
against anything. There are people arguing against the release of a
Human Pamplona Virus vaccine, believe it or not.

> Heinlein also deal with the problem of stagation by having Lazarus
> Long staring a company in which he break paths to new colonies for
> people, knowing that open space will provides a outlet for creative
> energy.

Now THAT'S a good use of immortality: investing in long-term
technology projects. So it takes thirty years to turn a profit.