Overcoming Death

[The Hammer]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

 

[Ashoka]

I can only speak for myself, but. Death is natural. It's nothing to fear. At least, I don't fear it.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

We could try it and then stop if it is not working out. I understand some of the potential problems, but they might be surmountable.

One serious threat is stagnation. Up until now we have always been changing. If we stop dying then we could stagnate in many ways. The upside of that is we could remain one thing, one species and never diverge (by evolution) into many species.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Should humanity overcome death?
Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

Humanity need not fear death. Life would not come back (no matter whatever one does). What makes us up will never be destroyed.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

You were born from death. You just return to the state you were prior to your birth.

I'm positive every thing will continue as before, and the lights will turn on and go out arguably for infinity. If it happens once there's no reason it cannot happen again. The question is when where and who?

The only thing that has a true death is ones ego imv. Life and death however is forever.

 

[Aštra’el]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

No. Death is a blessing, and the greatest mercy.

If humans ever discover how to transcend death with technology… they will create new ways to suffer, to torture themselves, and to enslave and imprison each other. I do not wish to be around for that. I saw something like this in a psychedelic trip once and it scared the hell out of me, seeing what humans could become.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

If you truly know what and who you are, then death of the body is seen as just an essential aspect of continuing spiritual evolution. Evolution through the mineral, plant, animal, human, angel, etc..,stages of manifestation is a natural process, our soul exists beyond the constraints of the present human evolutionary condition. Oh, and this evolution works on an individual basis, souls are not equal in their development, the vast majority here now on this planet are no where near ready to enter the angelic kingdom.

 

[Trailblazer]

Should humanity overcome death?

If you are referring to physical death, I don't think it is possible to overcome it since humans are mortal...
It is just a matter of time before physical death takes us.

However, I don't believe anyone ever dies. Only the body dies but the soul lives on and takes on another form in the spiritual world, a spiritual body.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

Our bodies wear out eventually. At least part of us lives on.

 

[JDMS]

I think we should seek to give high quality of life until the end (AKA improvements to medical care that will improve the quality rather than length of one's life), and seek medical advancements to avoid early, painful death to diseases such as ALS or cancer.

But I don't think we should try to 'cheat death' completely.

 

[YoursTrue]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

Yes, I wonder if gorillas consider different gods and wonder about death, writing about it and asking questions, you think? Oh, gorillas don't write so they can't leave journals, that's right.
But do you think they think alot about why they die, what happens when they die, and if scientists will ever figure a way out of death? Maybe they figure it's useless to think much about it.

 

[YoursTrue]

If you are referring to physical death, I don't think it is possible to overcome it since humans are mortal...
It is just a matter of time before physical death takes us.

However, I don't believe anyone ever dies. Only the body dies but the soul lives on and takes on another form in the spiritual world, a spiritual body.

Is that what Bahai teaches?

 

[Trailblazer]

Is that what Bahai teaches?

Yes.
Baha’is believe that souls go to heaven and take on a spiritual body, which is the same as what Paul says in 1st Cor:

We are raised in a spiritual body and only spiritual bodies can enter heaven.

(1st Corinthians 15:35) "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?"

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

 

[Heyo]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

I'm with Aubrey de Grey on this one. We don't need to die. Advances in medicine have doubled the life expectancy over the last century and the research into how we age isn't done yet. So, death through old age will be overcome one day. (Which isn't the same as immortality, we still can die by accident, disease, starvation or influence of our fellow humans.)
Personally, we don't need to die and why should we? But as a whole, as humanity, we do. We need to reduce our numbers on earth to about a quarter of what we are now to have a sustainable society. To keep evolving, we need to make space for future generations.

The solution: imagine there was a treatment that could stop or even reverse ageing. It will make you sterile. And there is only a 25% chance it will work.

 

[danieldemol]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

I think we may as well overcome death if we can because of the likelihood of suffering near death.

If we just accepted things as they are we would still be living in caves (or in the rain where there were no caves).

In my opinion

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

You know, just the other day I was wondering if that is actually possible in a practical sense.
After all, the brain didn't evolve to live for "millions of years".

Physically, I think it theoretically can be done to mess with genetics / cell workings and stuff to get to some kind of "eternal youth", albeit with a regular treatment or something.

But I wonder about the brain. How will it respond to storing thousands of years worth of memories?
Would it "overload"? Could it become "full", like a diskdrive, out of memory?

It's strange to think about. But it wouldn't surprise me that after x amount of centuries, brain problems could arise.

Anyway, suppose we invent that today. The OP seems to imply that it would be available to everyone eventually and not just a select few elites who become "immortal"?

If it's for all humans, then our social structure, civilization as we know it, would fundamentally change and perhaps even collapse.

Monogamy and "till death" would fly out the window. Having babies would be a big no-no (as the old generation doesn't die anymore, earth would be quickly over-over-crowded). Our entire economic systems, based on 2 decades of education, 4-5 decades of work and then retirement would also collapse. The entire concept is fully geared towards "working and saving up for your kids and end-of-life retirement".
All that would also go out the window.

Ironically (with certain theistic arguments in mind), "eternal life" would strip most aspects of life from its meaning. Many things would no longer be worth doing.


So actually overcoming death? No, bad idea.
Extending life a bit more artifically? Sure, but for me: only on condition that it happens through slowing down aging. I'm not looking forward to becoming 140 if physical decay stays on the same rate as it naturally is.

We could manage slowing down aging. So that today's 65 is the physical equivalent of say being 100-110.
In that case, we can just stretch out everything we do know, but over longer periods of time.
We won't get kids at 25-30, but at 40-50.
We won't retire at 65 but at 110.
We won't have a 2 decade education, but a 3 decade one.

Civilization could overcome such.

But in fact STOPPING aging all together instead of just slowing it down? No.
Bad idea.

 

[ChristineM]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

I the last couple of hundred years medical science has been overcoming death as in trebling hunan lifespan. There is not much more to be done in overcoming death.

As things stand, im happy, i live I'll die so will we all.

 

[Erebus]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

Do you mean physically overcome death or do you mean overcome death in the sense of losing your fear of it?

In the former case, I think there are plenty of warnings in folklore and fiction about how immortality may not be such a good idea. An eternal lifespan opens up the terrifying possibility of eternal suffering. You would need some sort of failsafe in order to prevent that from happening. Perhaps your cyborg or digital body comes with a self-delete option for example. If life became intolerable or you found yourself trapped with no chance of rescue, you would have a way to escape your immortality... you just have to hope your delete function doesn't glitch.

If you're talking about overcoming the fear of death then I suppose it depends on the extent to which we do it. Being comfortable with the idea of death as an inevitable part of life is generally beneficial. Losing your fear of death entirely would make you a good candidate for the Darwin awards.

 

[Nakosis]

Should humanity overcome death?

Death has dominated the human psyche, religion, philosophy, and culture since before the dawn of recorded history.

But should Humanity overcome death?

Or is it best to accept things as they are, and learn to live with the fact that death comes for all?

Probably not unless we can learn to live in balance with the universe. Otherwise we'd probably destroy the universe long before it's heat death.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I the last couple of hundred years medical science has been overcoming death as in trebling hunan lifespan. There is not much more to be done in overcoming death.

As things stand, im happy, i live I'll die so will we all.

13 4 billion is thought to be the limit.

How many people can Earth support?

I don't think the quest for immortality is going to end well.