[extropy-chat] The Inevitability of Universal Immortality in a Finite Universe

[ben]

Mark Walker wrote:

<Longevity Catastrophe!>


This assumes several things that aren't necessarily true.
For instance:

A) material resources would not apply the brakes on expansion

B) the long-lived population would be exactly the same in every other 
way to the rest of the population, and hence compete in the same 
ecological niche

C) these long-lived, biological people would live indefinitely, instead 
of succumbing to the statistical probability of dying of accidents etc. 
(Estimates of the half-lives of immortal biological people vary, but a 
commonly quoted figure is 1000 years)

D) these long-lived humans will not want to escape the half-life problem 
by becoming less biological, and thus moving to a different ecological 
niche - ultimately removing themselves from the biological realm 
entirely. It's quite possible that a population of billions or tens of 
billions might be able to live in a device the size of a small fridge 
(they'd have to learn to scrunch their arms and legs up /really 
tightly/, though)

I'm sure there must be others.

ben