Immortality

I like to argue that I might be immortal, just for the fun of it. I already have a line of defense prepared.

It goes like this :

  1. You can’t actually prove me wrong since I haven’t died yet. Maybe that won’t ever happen.
  2. Immortality itself is just a word to which you can assign different meanings, either literally or figuratively.

While the first point is rather trivial, and the whole discussion is mostly for fun or ice breaking purposes, let’s dive a little deeper.

First who is this person I refer to when I say that I am immortal? What even constitutes a person? There is no proper reason to limit that to what is contained within your skin, right?

For example: when you have children you pass on half of your DNA. Their cells started with yours and then multiplied into a new human being. You could then argue that you keep living as long as you have descendants.

To paraphrase Richard Dawkins, you / your body are a mere vessel for your genes which get passed along from one generation to the next.

You want to be immortal? Have children. Preferably plenty of them to multiply your chances that your bloodline will continue for a very long time, if not forever.

I also like that when you learn something new, get familiar with an idea or concept, you actually establish new connections between neurons in your brain. But this does not end there! If you discuss this idea with someone, or teach it, or influence someone’s thinking in anyway then it is a bit like you injecting them with a part of you. As long as they are alive, so are you. Again, it is obviously especially true with your own children, considering how tremendously you influence their thinking. It definitely close to the concept of Richard Dawkins’ memetics where ideas are similar to infectious agents and spread from people to people, living their own lives.

I also like that saying that someone dies twice: once when you stop breathing and a second time when someone says your name for the last time (if anyone has a source to that, I’d love to know!).

I assume that this is part of the reasoning for leaders always wanting to build massive pieces of architecture, statues and whatnot. Those will make sure they will be remembered for a very long time and as long as they are remembered they are still alive.

Another example I like are the ancient philosophers: they left lots of ideas by the means of books. Some of those ideas are still very influential today, see the current popularity of stoicism who keep authors like Marcus Aurelius’ or Seneca’s ideas very much alive and kicking in the brains of today’s people.

You want to be immortal? Make sure you will not be forgotten. Leave a legacy. Influence people, who will influence more people. Write books. Start religions. Build pyramids.

There is another venue to immortality, which is through technology and artificial intelligence. I have already explored that topic in “artificial people” but to sum it up, here are some ideas :

  • training an AI / chatbot with your entire digital production so that it can later “be” you
  • mapping your entire brain (neurons and connections and whatnot) and then simulating it in a virtual environment
  • adopting an artificial intelligence, and passing it your thoughts, values and so on, as you would a child

You want to be immortal? Embrace Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

Now, for a more “down to earth” idea of immortality, that is you biologically living forever, there are also possibilities through the progress of medicines and specifically human longevity research :

  • some drugs could have anti-ageing properties although there is no free lunch and they usually come with side effects
  • stem cell therapy could help repair age damage in organs
  • entire organs could be 3D printed when you need replacement parts

It is not clear how long it will take for those technologies to be available but I once heard that if you manage to stay healthy for another 40 years or so, you might have a shot at living forever. Or at least not dying of old age.

Of course that sort of technology will first be available at a high cost and only the wealthy will be able to benefit from it. But later on, as mass production drives prices, down the middle class will also get access to it.

You want to be immortal? Take care of your body now. Become rich.

You see? I might very well be immortal in a way or another, and chances you might be too!