Human Immortality (Imminent Possibility)

Introduction

Immortality or eternal life is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is a workable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations that may or may not be able to overcome through medical interventions or engineering. Natural selection has developed the potential biological immortality in at least one species of jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula.

Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers, including Ray Kurzweil argue that human immortality can be achieved in the first decades of the 21st century, while other advocates believe that the extension of life is an achievable goal in the short term, immortality pending further progress in the investigation into the indefinite future. Aubrey de Grey, a researcher who has developed a series of strategies for rejuvenation of biomedicine to reverse human aging (called SENS), believes that its proposed plan to end aging can be applied in two or three decades. The absence of aging provide humans with biological immortality, but not invulnerable to death by physical trauma.

The Issue

One of the reasons why we age and decay is due to natural mistakes that happen to the DNA of our cells are the time. Small mutations and degradation of the ends of the DNA strands leads to improper gene function over time which results in the accumulation of the symptoms of aging. (Nielsen: 237-264) Our cells have adapted to introduce telomeric sequences to the ends of our DNA to help stave off DNA degradation at the ends and enzymes like telomerase keep these sequences constant. Over time, however, even these sequences fail and aging continues.

If scientists can find ways to create "invincible telomeres" and prevent unwanted mutations in the DNA then perhaps aging would cease. The former is more likely than the latter, as we may be able to find a way to improve the action and fidelity of telomerases. Biotechnology is an exciting field and research is rapidly accumulating, so more information about this is sure to come up in the years to come, but it is unlikely that we will see any "immortals" for a long time.

There are also many ethical questions to consider when trying to create "immortal species." Who gets to be immortal? What effect will the immortality of one species have on the rest of the planet/ecosystem around that species? If you're religious: is immortality against God's plan/will? Will the inability to age and die prevent humans from appreciating life/valuing the lives of others? (Van Inwagen: 242-46)

So many critics have one and the same objection to the door of immortality that my lecture is intended to be left open for the "transmission theory" of brain action, I am tempted, as the book back into print to add a word of explanation.

If our finite personality then objectors say is due to transmission through the brain of pre-existing parts of a larger consciousness, all that may remain after the expiration of the brain is greater consciousness as such, which thereafter reconfounded must necessarily be the only means of our personal existence have ...