X-Message-Number: 24935
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 11:07:51 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #24926 - #24933

More for Mike Price:

In a brief piece for Cryonet I recently argued that very long lifespans
would affect us in many ways even without any special biological or 
physical redesign. I am agreeing with Mike Perry on this issue; however
I would argue further, by saying that a virtually immortal lifespan
will give anyone so endowed with a character that wouldn't even think
of hurting others or being "evil" toward them. (This doesn't mean that
they would fail to defend themselves if attacked, and with technology
less and less damaging ways to do so will be found). In short, our 
wish for a very long lifespan brings with it a loss of any desire to 
commit evil on any other. Immortality plays an essential role in the
argument here; we don't just become nice because of general technology,
but specifically because our lifespans have increased so much that 
we've outgrown such inclinations.

If anyone on Cryonet is interested, here are a few more changes, told
about as briefly as I can. We may lose our interest in history, since
after all we would have ourselves experienced the events history 
tells about. A good deal of literature deals with love and death;
we'd hardly lose interest in love, but most of that literature (yes,
Shakespeare and others such included) would be forgotten. One way or
another, we may take on many lovers, not all at the same time but
sequentially. After all, two independent people following their 
independent lives may have paths which match for a while but not
forever. Nor for that matter would we "fall in love" any more, so that
the term "lovers" would cease to be exactly correct. We wouldn't want
to produce children in such unions, of course. Production of children,
ie. new human beings, may turn out to bear little relation to any
sexual unions at all --- when they are produced, which would be 
quite rare. Groups of people (though just from looking at evolution
2 seems the most likely size of such a group) would combine to 
produce a child, not just from their genes but their ideas about
what a new human being should be like. These groups would occur
independently of any pairing for sex.

We would not seek honor or acclamation from others because in our long
lifespans everyone will have done something worthwhile and striking. 
Our status at any instant and for any other person will depend on just
what we and the other person seek together. We would have differences
in wealth, but they would be seen as choices anyone could make if they
wished. If we were the equivalent of scientists today, we'd put out
the results of our efforts for anyone to see, be glad if someone finds
a way to carry them further, and interested if someone finds arguments
against them (it's our short current lifespans that makes some 
scientists oppose a new theory contradicting their work so vehemently).

AS readers might guess, that's what TALES OF SKASTOWE is about: my
attempt to see what life will be like for us as immortals.

                    Best wishes and long long life for all,

                          Thomas Donaldson

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