[ExI] Future Bodies

[BillK]

On Sat, Jan 18, 2014 at 2:07 AM, Kelly Anderson wrote:
> And isn't it possible that JUST BEING ALIVE for 10,000 years would become
> intolerable? What if the world has changed so much that you just aren't able
> to process it or comprehend it any more? What if there is NO MORE NATURE.
> What if there is NO MORE SKY. What if everything your brain evolved to enjoy
> was gone because the powers that come to be don't enjoy that stuff anymore?
>
> You are comparing today's suicide with tomorrow's suicide. I'm saying that
> it is entirely possible that tomorrow people will commit suicide for
> entirely different reasons.
>
> Long life means things may change. You may feel as obsolete as a stone axe.
> As useless as a kickstand on a submarine. What is the point of living if you
> feel like that? Seems pretty intolerable to me.
>
>

Oh, I agree with all that.  :)

I think I have said before that a population of 1,000+ year old people
will be very different. Much more risk averse for example.  And, yes,
the suicide chambers might well become a normal feature of such a
society. Just as 'lifetime' marriage will probably disappear, to be
replaced by legal partnerships which can be terminated much more
easily than current divorce courts. There won't be many children
around either.

All the present reasons for suicide will still apply though. Unless
you assume a utopia where nobody is ever unhappy. More advanced drug
treatment could probably fix that. I think 'unofficial' suicide will
probably still be disapproved of by society. After all, society loses
a lot more when someone with centuries of experience and education
leaves.


BillK