X-Message-Number: 28610
From: "Chris Manning" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re: The Fountain
Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2006 02:45:28 +1100

----- Original Message ----- > Message #28608

> Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:54:43 -0500
> From: Francois <>
> Subject: Re: The Fountain
>

[snip]

> I reserve judgement on the message carried by the movie for after I have
> actually seen it. However, it does ask a valid question, one which we'll
> need to answer eventually. What if we could live forever? What then? Is
> eternal life really desirable? I certainly think so, and so do many people
> reading cryonet. In a way, most people find it desirable because it is
> precisely what they are trying to achieve through their religions, but is 
> it
> really something to be strived for?
>
> We have no experience with immortality, all we have are speculations. What
> happens to a human mind after a thousand years? A million? A quadrillion?
> Will we vanquish death only to succumb to insanity, boredom, despair, or
> something worse that will only be revealed after countless millenia? Yes,
> the question is indeed valid and must not be ignored or dismissed. We 
> would
> do so at our own peril.


It is a valid question, but I don't think we need to worry about the 
possibility of living forever. In any given period of time there is a 
certain likelihood of dying in an accident (or from some other non-medical 
cause). As the length of the period of time approaches infinity, that 
likelihood would approach unity. In other words, even if all medical causes 
of death are eliminated, you *will* eventually die in an accident.

For example, making it mathematically simple, suppose that there were one 
chance in a million of dying in an accident in any given year. Then the 
likelihood of your dying in any given period of a million years is 1 - 1/e 
or about 63%.

Even if I am wrong about that, you will still eventually die, because the 
Universe will eventually become incapable of supporting life.

Of course this is assuming that our present understanding of the Universe is 
correct as regards entropy, the 2nd law of thermodynamics, etc.


>
> And concerning the movie itself, I do not believe in elves, magicians, 
> evil
> rings or dragons, yet this did not stop me from thouroughly enjoying Lord 
> of
> the Rings. Similarly, the fact that I do not believe in souls, spirits or
> gods will not stop me from enjoying The Fountain, provided of course that 
> it
> offers a good story.
>

Since you are Quebe ois, you may be interested to know that I happen to 
possess a copy of 'Le Seigneur des Anneaux' ('The Lord of the Rings' in 
French). It took me 8 months to read it. I also have a copy of the English 
version. I think it is actually better in French than in English! 

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