[extropy-chat] ENOUGH again

[Damien Broderick]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Walker" <mark at permanentend.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 10:38 AM

> What do you think McKibben means by 'living must be enough for us, not
> living forever'? ... Does the 'must' here suggest some
> public policy recommendation, e.g., making it illegal to pursue
immortality?

Yes. Because it's the slippery slope to the final erosion of meaning from
our (formerly) mortal lives. That meaning derives from our transience and
continuity with the rest of the  natural world. This doesn't mean, though,
that we have to give up reading or wearing clothes, even though sparrows and
worms and bacteria can't do that. How come? Well, if you don't see (or
*feel*) why, it obviously shows how spiritually bankrupt you must already
be... Sigh.

Damien Broderick