Is that how long you want to live?

I've read a few articles recently that deal with the advancements in medicine and technology which may open up the possibility for an essentially endless life. Still much to do to see if it will work, but we have a considerable number of scientists who are telling us its only a matter of time before they find how to use their telomere research or this or that gene, or this or that drug, etc.

What I want to know is how do you feel about this? If given the chance, would you like to live forever? Or do you think it's unnatural and therefore not good to live for dozens of times as long as our ancestors did?

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-10/singularity-summit-2009-thus-spake-kurzweil
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2005-01/prophet-immortality
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-10/nobel-jumps-onboard-unlocking-secrets-aging

It would certainly cause overpopulation problems, and the people would at first be so weak that they would not be able to work and therefore be a liability.

So unless people can live healthily forever and sex is abolished, this could never possibly work.

Overpopulated?

We should colonize Mars!

Wouldn't see a problem with it if the aforementioned problems were addressed. But personally, I'd be bloody bored.

Quote from Automaton

But personally, I'd be bloody bored.

Being bored is worse than being dead?

Well, now a 30-50 year sentence in jail because of murder wouldn't rob a guy of his life. And it would still work as a huge punishment.

I would take immortality up in an instant. I think I could always find something new to do, even if it was just memorising more of pi.

Overpopulation would be difficult until we could colonise other planets. Even then it's iffy. Mass sterilisation wouldn't be a terrible idea. The only downside is that evolution would instantly stop, but when you're immortal there's no point in attaching a nominal value to something like improvements for people you'd never have met.

I don't think overpopulation would be a problem. The number of people who would be able to afford the treatment would be very small at first. As the population of immortals grew, the number of normal people would have to drop off because our population has a death rate and we'd be competing with an ever-present group for resources. If they can afford the treatment, they won't be starving, I assume. They will probably have valuable skills or traits which they can master(given enough time, I imagine anyone could master a skill they have a knack for) and even learn new skills with which they can earn an income. I don't think an immortal human would want to work in manual labor, but let's say they do. The advancements in medicine will constantly ensure they're healthy and fit. Any tissue damage can be repaired and their new body will heal much more quickly than their pre-treatment shell.

I would definitely sign up if I had the money for it.

But let's move to the overpopulation side: the negative aspects. I would like to know y'all's thoughts on the detrimental effects of human immortality.

Are you saying that overpopulation won't be a problem because food shortages will mean that starvation keeps the population down? Because I think when you've reached the point where there is not enough food to support the population, you have an overpopulation problem.

We're already in a state of overpopulation, but we haven't quite felt the effects yet in the developed world. I'm saying overpopulation wont be a problem for the immortals. When everyone else dies out, they'll presumably still be here unless their mere presence sparks conflicts and assassinations.

I have no idea what happened with the double post thing. My internet connection is really acting up.

The world produces enough food to support everyone at the moment. It just doesn't always get to the necessary people.

And what happens when the immortals breed? With immortality, the global population will expand exponentially until there are food shortages again and immortals start dying this time (assuming "immortal" only extends to disease and old age. We still can't defy the laws of conservation of energy).

Quote from OGrilla

We're already in a state of overpopulation, but we haven't quite felt the effects yet in the developed world.

We haven't hit global overpopulation yet. The reason we don't feel effects in developed countries is because we haven't reached overpopulation in those areas. Some places might be overpopulated but famine in underdeveloped countries isn't usually because of overpopulation.

Quote from Devour

Well, now a 30-50 year sentence in jail because of murder wouldn't rob a guy of his life. And it would still work as a huge punishment.

But then science will make it impossible to die.

Whats that? Head blown off? HERES A NEW ONE SOMEHOW :D

no moar homoside

Also we'll be able to send people to mars and shit, without them wasting their lives doing so.