I know this is a hot take; we only have one life, why not make it forever? If there was an immortality pill, why not take it?
Well, it's a bad idea. The oldest story on record tells us as much, and so do countless myth and works of sci-fi.
Plus, immortality sucks, for the immortals and everyone else.
Bonus: the Four Horsemen of Immortality!
https://open.substack.com/pub/heyslick/p/immortality-the-billionaires-fools-errand?r=4t921l&utm_medium=ios
5 Comments
I know this is a hot take; we only have one life, why not make it forever?
If there was an immortality pill, why not take it?
There’s already a lot of research and money going into it. Plus, the science of longevity and immortality will benefit us all, right?
… right?
Well, it’s a bad idea. The oldest story on record tells us as much, and so do countless myths and works of sci-fi.
Plus, immortality sucks, for the immortals and everyone else.
Bonus: the Four Horsemen of Immortality!
Yea, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever read. Let’s base the notion of immortality and its morality / benefit on ancient stories.
I’m taking that pill 100% of the time.
> and so do countless myth and works of sci-fi.
I think “sour grapes” have played a huge role in their creation as well as coping.
Immortality is not the same as indestructibility. If we eliminate natural death there will probably be ways for you to properly game end yourself whenever you want. Let people choose on their own how long they want to live instead of yapping about your own “objectively superior” view which no one will really care about.
I can’t believe someone actually wrote all of this seriously. None of it makes any sense whatsoever. You can’t point to sci-fi stories to show why something *in real life* would be bad. It’s right in the name, fiction. The stories referenced here all go in completely different directions such that there is no central argument even made. Immortality is lonely because all your friends die? Not if there is an immortality pill, they will be immortal too.
Who gives a fuck about Gilgamesh? Do you credit ancient people with getting anything else right? Why don’t we all still worship their gods and burn witches if they were so smart? I guess my biggest frustration is that this article doesn’t even really attempt to make any argument at all, it just references a hundred different things and takes them all at face value without any critical analysis.