[ExI] Future Bodies

[BillK]

On Mon, Jan 20, 2014 at 2:10 PM, Ben Zaiboc wrote:
> So, you don't expect medical science to be /that/ advanced, then? ;>
>
> With better bodies than the kind we have now, pain management could be
> built-in, in such a way as to keep all of the benefits of pain but eliminate
> the downsides.
>
> With the kind of bodies I have in mind, most common injuries would be a lot
> less inconvenient, not nearly as stressful, and recovering from them would
> be a hell of a lot quicker, not to mention that lessons could be learned,
> and applied, so that after the injury, you're not only as good as new, but
> better ("Hmm, maybe that bone should be stronger, if I'm going to do jumps
> like that.  Give me the G900s, please.").
>
>

The difficulty is time span. 'Better bodies' will only be a step on
the way to 'no bodies'. How long it will apply, who knows?

The trouble with minimizing pain is that it is an evolutionary
advantage to have pain. You need enough pain to know when you have
been seriously damaged and need to go to the repair shop. If you don't
have enough pain, or have the option to switch off the pain sensors,
determined people will carry on regardless until total failure is
achieved. If pain is minimal, people will be more likely to endanger
themselves and when a serious misjudgement / accident happens they
could be killed. Pain reduces anti-survival activities.

The difficulty with engaging in dangerous activities (because you know
easy repair is possible) is that you can't control the extent of the
injuries that happen. It might just be a broken leg, but it might be a
total wipeout where your whole body is collapsified. (That's got the
spell-check worried!).

BillK