[ExI] Not Immoral to Want to Be Immortal

[ben]

From: BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:

 >His reference to 'The Price is Right' raises another problem. How many
 >repeats of 'The Price is Right' do older folk actually want to watch?
 >Getting an interest or hobby is what keeps them going. Reading the
 >letters after the article, it looks as though many of these over 60s
 >people have made looking after themselves as their main hobby. Diet,
 >exercise, vitamin pills, cosmetic treatments, etc. seem to occupy a
 >lot of their time.
 >
 >If we got a yearly 'anti-ageing' injection, what would they do with 
their time?
 >
 >I know all the 20 - 30 year olds on the list will immediately respond
 >that they can study to be physicists or engineers or become great
 >artists, etc.  But there is an ennui that comes with age. Older folk
 >look at all these youngsters rushing around 'doing stuff' with a sort
 >of bemusement. 'Why bother? What's all the fuss about?'
 >
 >There is more to living longer than just eating, sleeping and watching tv.
 >After 100 will people really *want* it?


Ha!

OK, we all know that life-extension will by definition mean "healthy 
life-extension" (I'd like to think that nobody reading this is going to 
be a victim of the Tithonus fallacy), and in practice this will mean 
rejuvenation. Where does the ennui that comes with old age come from? Is 
it just a matter of experience? Or is it down to biochemistry?

I know which i'd put my money on.

Therefore, (assuming that the answer is indeed 'biochemistry') the 
newly-young will have just as much bounciness as the first-time young - 
maybe more, in fact - and they will know (and appreciate all the more!) 
just exactly what all the fuss is about.

Are you not old enough to have ever thought "Ooh, the stuff i'd do if i 
was 20 (or 30 or 40...) years younger, and knew what i know now!"

In fact, thinking about this, i wouldn't be surprised if the advent of 
proper life-extension technology sparked a renaissance like we've never 
seen before. And the word would be more appropriate than it's ever been!

ben zaiboc