Your View on Death

[Gradius]

Thankfully, the human race will eventually cure aging.

Sometime soon I hope. :P

But even then, everything we do here is meaningless. Eventually the sun will die, and if humans don't find a way to colonize other planets before then, all the achievements of the human race, even the legacy you leave behind, will be for naught. Even if we do outlive the death of our sun, the universe itself will eventually end, and I don't think it will be possible to save ourselves from that. Death is what waits for everything.

[Visions of Khas]

There is but one thing we say to the god of death: Not today.


Do I fear death? On an intellectual level, no. My only regret is that I won't know what we, humanity, will do next. None of us will live in an age where spaceflight is a regular occurence. We won't behold the seeding of worlds; there's so much we won't see and know.

On an instinctual level, I'm terrified. I work with the ill, dead and dying. I've dissected cadavers. I've had a few close brushes with death myself.

But when we die, all that knowledge will be lost. The brain and memories will shut down, and it will be as though we never were.

This existence has no objective meaning. The only meaning it has is the one we give it. In many ways there is little difference between us and robots. We both work by the same mechanics, yet we have the delusion of saying we will continue to exist after we die. It's interesting; given enough time, space and density, vast groups of atoms of helium will begin to contemplate themselves.

Will humanity cure aging? "Cure"? You think of it as most americans do, as an illness. It isn't, it's just nature. That said, if science can eliminate aging, well then they should go for it. I know I'd like to keep on living.

Because hey, it's really the only game in town.

[DemolitionSquid]

Speaking of immortality, are any of you watching Torchwood? British TV is so epic.

[Turalyon]

But when we die, all that knowledge will be lost. The brain and memories will shut down, and it will be as though we never were.

This existence has no objective meaning. The only meaning it has is the one we give it. In many ways there is little difference between us and robots. We both work by the same mechanics, yet we have the delusion of saying we will continue to exist after we die.

This strongly brings to my mind Roy Batty's final words.

Yay for existentialism!!

[sandwich_bird]

But even then, everything we do here is meaningless.

Is it? There is so much still to be learn about our universe; we can't just sit around and think that everything we do is worth nothing until we know everything. The fact is, we will never know everything and that is, even if we conquer death and the rules that govern our existence. As so, the meaning of our life will always be to search for the meaning of our life.

Will humanity cure aging? "Cure"? You think of it as most americans do, as an illness. It isn't, it's just nature. That said, if science can eliminate aging, well then they should go for it. I know I'd like to keep on living.

Just like any disease is also ''natural''. There's no reason to let aging creep around and make us rot. We are slowly getting closer to getting rid of it but we need to cure cancer first if we are to ever use any of the therapy theorized by researchers to treat aging.

[Gradius]

Is it? There is so much still to be learn about our universe; we can't just sit around and think that everything we do is worth nothing until we know everything. The fact is, we will never know everything and that is, even if we conquer death and the rules that govern our existence. As so, the meaning of our life will always be to search for the meaning of our life.

Our actions do have meaning in the present, but in the end it will all boil down to nothing if our civilization gets ganked by our own sun/universe. We just have to hope that the laws of physics & luck allow for our civilization & the results of our actions to survive forever (which I don't think is possible. you can't beat entropy).

[TheEconomist]

What is best in life?

To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!

I always think of that line whenever life or death is brought up.

Props to DSquid

Will humanity cure aging? "Cure"? You think of it as most americans do, as an illness. It isn't, it's just nature. That said, if science can eliminate aging, well then they should go for it. I know I'd like to keep on living.

First of all, he's Canadian. Not American. If anything, you should substitute 'Americans' with 'progressive thinkers on death' (as I think I've heard them called in the news) because its just that damn global.

No. What causes most of aging are changes in the body that can be classified as being similiar to aging. Aging isn't in of itself so core to nature that it cannot be changed. Death is, however. But, aging =\= death.

[GnaReffotsirk]

I can't remember what it is exactly, but there's an organism that doesn't age or die to aging.

Our actions do have meaning in the present, but in the end it will all boil down to nothing if our civilization gets ganked by our own sun/universe. We just have to hope that the laws of physics & luck allow for our civilization & the results of our actions to survive forever (which I don't think is possible. you can't beat entropy).

Yeah, we must go tier 3 and be that type of civilization Michio Kaku was talking about. I think being able to live longer is a requisite to this.

[Turalyon]

I can't remember what it is exactly, but there's an organism that doesn't age or die to aging.

It's a jellyfish

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_nutricula

[TheEconomist]

form can revert to the polyp stage after becoming sexually mature.

Sexually mature jellyfish? There's a hentai for that.

Oh, right. No funnies here. Depressing death. My fault.