[extropy-chat] more great reasons to be dead

[The Avantguardian]

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

> I think he is also correct that immortals will
> become very risk averse
> in lifestyle and in investments. There would be a
> slowdown in the
> economy as older minds don't indulge in the spending
> fads and toys
> that fascinate young minds. The 'We've seen it all
> before' attitude
> would apply to everyone.

I disagree. Anybody who is willing to radically alter
their biochemistry/physiology/bodies in order to live
longer will be very prone to pragmatism and willing to
take risk. Indeed the first few will likely be
daredevils since nobody will really know what to
expect (i.e. a treatment that immortalizes mice could
entirely possibly kill a human). They will also likely
be very mature and adult and feel fairly fufilled by
life, thus their personality will likely be fairly
stable. While once the technique becomes perfected, we
can expect more risk averse immortals to join the
pool, the first and therefore oldest will most likely
be risk-takers and people of action. Individuals
unlikely to be afraid of speculation and not the kind
to sit on their hordes. Of course they may very well
be greedy as they most certainly would be rich but
they would be smart gamblers and not investment
bankers.


> 
> His contention that immortals could become a race of
> self-preoccupied,
> spoilt prima donnas strikes me at first as
> surprisingly plausible.
> Immortals will have an exaggerated sense of caring
> for themselves. But
> then if we are living in a society of prima donnas,
> nobody will put up
> with anyone else's tantrums. :)

I doubt they would be any more prima donnas than the
very people on this list, myself included. ;)


The Avantguardian 
is 
Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
-Bill Watterson

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