Immortality and Genetics

[ProfessorJ]

Or at least a really long life. With modern technology like nanorobotics and genetic engineering, greatly extended lifespans may be just a few years off. Instead of 40 or 50 being middleaged or old, 400 and 500 may be the time for the midlife crisis. Or maybe the engineering will have another effect: real life werewolves and vampires. Some of my friends would become vampires or werewolves now if given the chance, and frankly I would too if it were possible. Strength, speed, gracefulness, in exchange for hunting animals? Long lives and nearly infinite knowledge? Completely worht it.
But at what cost would these gifts come at? Would extended lifespans destroy our base humanity? would it eradicate belief in God? Would we be able to continue our quest for God, even though we are knowledgeable extending the tme before we meet Him? As Christians, are we able to let these technologies advance? Long lives and good health are wonderful, but at what cst do they come? If you have anything to say, please say it. This is an odd subject, but one increasingly near. If we act not now, it may be too late if this is for the worst.
In Him, J

 

[billwald]

Personhood is memory. The only way I have to know whom I am when I wake is the memories of my previous day and prior life, the memory of going to sleep. If my memories could be copied and transferred to another body or to a computer - including memories of the copying process - then there would be two of me.

 

[Taure]

If this really is true and not just hype or over-optimism then I see no problem with it.

We allow our life spans to be lengthened by anti-biotics, by cancer treatments, and hundreds of other modern medical practices.

I see no reason why this would be any different.

I dunno about the vampire and werewolf thing though - sounds a bit fantastical to me.

 

[ArmoredTruth]

wasn't adolf all about improving the human race? something about the search for the bloodline that will bring back the abilities of the rumored atlantian people. i guess they had super human abilities - vision, lifespan, strength, agility etc. their lust for war and power made it so no one could stop them in battle until a small group of rag-tag people overthrew their power with their only tool- righteousness. i imagine in the end times the devil will use these amazing medical abilities to distract peoples attention from God in offering ways to get people to focus on themselves. people need to realize that they are not ever going to be all powerful so the search for such is only lustful thinking. the super people would have no use for those who were weak and who chose not to lust after their own omnipotence. it would give you comfort now, but be the end of you then.

 

[Ino]

I don't personally think it's going to happen. Since day one human's have tried to gain more knowledge than they actually need,
They're have been previous attempts at eternal life or at least a better race, but they have all ended in misery.
True, we know much more than ever before, but so did the generations before us. And so will the generations after us.
My dad told me that in the sixties people honestly thought in 2000 there would be flying cars. How many of us have one?

 

[billwald]

When Social Security was started in the USofA the retirement age was set at 65 because the average person lived to age 60. Now people are living 20 years longer.

 

[Ino]

Up to a certain point you can extend your life by life style choices.

 

[ProfessorJ]

Personally, I doubt we'll achieve it, not in this lifetime at least. For one, even if some life-extending technology is developed, it'll be ages before it passes enough testing to become available. And the price will be absurd, Im sure. And as for not believing the vampire/werewolf thing, thats more possible than the extended lifespan. It would be harder on a full-grown adult, but the gene splicing to do that is already possible, just untested in humans that we know of. Of course, you woouldn't have to drink blood, you'd just have more or less the apperance.