Quote:
Originally Posted by coolkayaker1
It has been said that, if there was a cure for no other disease than terminal cancer, the world would be overpopulated--mass starvation and dehydration--within one generation.
The same can be said for eternal life. As Steve Jobs said in his graduation speech, linked above: Death is the greatest invention for life.
It is the natural order of things that all things shall pass.
COOLKAYAKER1: All Things Shall Pass |
There's no such thing as eternal life. The title of the book I mentioned, in my opening post, only suggests it: "The Strange Science of Immortality". When you think about it, it wouldn't be easy to come up with a better title than that. What else could the title have been? "The Strange Science of Trying to Live a Lot Longer?" There is another book titled, "Live Long Enough To Live Forever". It speculates that if you could live another 10 or 15 years, by that time the technology would exist to help you live forever. But it's just speculation because the technology just isn't there yet.
Not only that but it's very likely that most people wouldn't be able to afford the genetic modification treatments it would require. And fresh stem cells would have to be engineered in a lab and periodically injected into your body. This alone might cost $15,000.00 or more every ten years.
A large number of people haven't even saved enough retirement money to last 15 or 20 years. And I doubt that any health care plan would pay for these treatments..
Also, if this thread is any indication, a lot of people wouldn't want it. So I doubt it would lead to over population. But if you really want to know what happens when people live longer and longer, just look at Japan. The birth rate has been gradually going down for a long time. I think it's the same in Europe too. Look at Italy and other such places. The birth rate keeps going down.