Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Can Software-Based Humans Live Forever?

Recently I saw a show on public TV where 3 scientists stated that within the next 50 years humans will start routinely living for 150 years.  They did not address the quality of life that people will experience.  Will we be miserable from 100 to 150?  Will we be able to afford getting older?  And how will the children of aging parents hold up psychologically, financially, etc.?  Many doctors feel that we will be like cars now.  When we need new parts we'll go into the hospital repair shop, get fixed up and come out new and improved.  (No comments about the lack of quality and affordable auto repair shops.)  This is already happening to some mild extent now.  It's been estimated that there will be 8 million centenarians by 2050.  We're living longer and longer, for better or for worse.

Ray Kurzweil, the author of "The Singularity Is Near:  When Humans Transcend Biology," believes that we're close to unlocking the key to immortality.  Yes you heard right:  I M M O R T A L I T Y.  "Software-based humans"  will survive indefinitely on the web "projecting bodies whenever they need or want them, including virtual bodies in diverse realms of virtual reality."  Whoa!  I, or my children and their children, better start perfecting our interactive web games skills (World of Warcraft, etc.).

What we do now is bury or entomb or cremate bodies.  That's what humans have been doing for thousands of years.  So perhaps no more expensive grave plots for our grandchildren in the future.

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