[X] My Assistant

[CanRay]

So does starvation, disease, crime, and colonization.

[Draco18s]

Wars cure population.

And as we all know, the rich who can afford to live forever, are the ones who are on the front lines. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohplease.gif)

(And here's a story about immortality: http://www.365tomorrows.com/11/07/immortality/ )

[JanessaVR]

And as we all know, the rich who can afford to live forever, are the ones who are on the front lines. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohplease.gif)

(And here's a story about immortality: http://www.365tomorrows.com/11/07/immortality/ )

Despite these little trite and uninspired propaganda pieces that you seem so fond of, I'm willing to bet that many (if not most) people will prefer to lead longer, healthier lives when the option is presented to them, regardless of any such ridiculous luddite "cautionary tales" to the contrary. Life extension will be presented in the form of healthcare treatments - don't like, don't get - problem solved.

[Draco18s]

Despite these little trite and uninspired propaganda pieces that you seem so fond of

Propaganda?
Really?

They're flash fiction.

365 tomorrows is a collaborative project designed to present readers with a new piece of short science and speculative ‘flash’ fiction each day.

I was sharing a speculative piece of fiction relevant to the discussion. Namely because:

The major social ramifications of this are massive and only thought about by science-fiction and fantasy authors.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Propaganda?
Really?

They're flash fiction.

I was sharing a speculative piece of fiction relevant to the discussion.

Heh... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[JanessaVR]

Propaganda?
Really?

They're flash fiction.

I was sharing a speculative piece of fiction relevant to the discussion. Namely because:

They may be "relevant" fiction pieces, but you are (please correct me if I'm wrong), using them as arguments to support your anti-life-extension stance, and I'm saying that I find their value as such to be anything but sound and reasoned.

[Draco18s]

They may be "relevant" fiction pieces, but you are (please correct me if I'm wrong), using them as arguments to support your anti-life-extension stance, and I'm saying that I find their value as such to be anything but sound and reasoned.

I am merely presenting what speculative fiction exists around the topic.

I personally have no qualms with wanting to extend life. I'm merely saying that you should be careful what you wish for.

Do you want to die every year so that you can stay young and never learn from the experience?
Do you want to have to fight and murder in order to maintain your living conditions because "everyone else is immortal too, but we keep having kids"?
Do you want to digitize yourself and end up in a tyrannical society ruled by those still Outside the machine (and find yourself one day whisked away silently and deleted)?

Each of the possible avenues of immortality has its cost. Both to the individual and to society as a whole.

(And on the topic of propaganda, is a one-on-one fight to the death with an alien bent on world conquest, winning means they leave, losing means Humanity surrenders unconditionally propaganda? Sentient musical tracks? Interstellar plumber worshiped as a god? A spaceship loaded with cryosleepers that's been out in the black too long and has developed its own culture? Smart bombs getting a little too smart and refusing to go to work because it requires that they sacrifice themselves for us? A child's spaceship wanting to be a ghost for Halloween? Trying to save everything and not having enough space, in a world where every subtle nuance can be observed, digitized, cataloged, and stored?)

[JanessaVR]

I am merely presenting what speculative fiction exists around the topic.

I personally have no qualms with wanting to extend life. I'm merely saying that you should be careful what you wish for.

Do you want to die every year so that you can stay young and never learn from the experience?
Do you want to have to fight and murder in order to maintain your living conditions because "everyone else is immortal too, but we keep having kids"?
Do you want to digitize yourself and end up in a tyrannical society ruled by those still Outside the machine (and find yourself one day whisked away silently and deleted)?

Each of the possible avenues of immortality has its cost. Both to the individual and to society as a whole.

(And on the topic of propaganda, is a one-on-one fight to the death with an alien bent on world conquest, winning means they leave, losing means Humanity surrenders unconditionally propaganda? Sentient musical tracks? Interstellar plumber worshiped as a god? A spaceship loaded with cryosleepers that's been out in the black too long and has developed its own culture? Smart bombs getting a little too smart and refusing to go to work because it requires that they sacrifice themselves for us? A child's spaceship wanting to be a ghost for Halloween? Trying to save everything and not having enough space, in a world where every subtle nuance can be observed, digitized, cataloged, and stored?)

Regarding the above “avenues” of longevity, of course they all sound terrible – they were obviously meant to. They also sound ridiculously *implausible* so I’m not going to waste 1 second worrying about them. I’ve heard (and discussed, on transhumanist/nanotechnology sites) and among futurist-minded friends, some plausible problems with readily available life extension (and accompanying possible/probable post-economic social transformation with a sufficiently advanced level of nano-manufacturing that is almost certain to go hand in hand with it), but those scenarios aren’t among them. If we’re submitting speculative fiction pieces on this topic, I’ll submit Marshall Brain’s various works on these subjects; some are hopeful, some are downright worrying – which is usually about how reality eventually turns out most of the time. My point is, the scenarios you’ve submitted (prior to this post) are so “out there” that they really just constitute borrowing trouble where it not only doesn’t exist, but almost certainly won’t, either. As far as the social problems of life extension go, if the mere existence of a relatively small “immortal elite of the rich” is all we have to worry about, we’re getting off easy.

Regarding the second set of stories you’ve submitted, I haven’t looked at them yet, just the ones from your previous posts. If there’s better fiction on that site, you certainly haven’t done it any favors by presenting what look to be its worst examples here in past posts, but I’ll have a look at these new ones.

EDIT:

I will also submit, as a semi-whimsical entry with a serious message, The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant, billed and regarded as the first transhumanist fairy tale.

[Christian Lafay]

Wars cure population.

But we aren't killing each other off fast enough. Or groups that make sense. KILL THOSE WITH OIL! SAVE THOSE WITH FLIES!

[CanRay]

So, the invasion of Canada is happening, when?

[Christian Lafay]

So, the invasion of Canada is happening, when?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Plan_Red Fear it, ya crazy mountain savage. Haha

[Draco18s]

Regarding the above “avenues” of longevity, of course they all sound terrible – they were obviously meant to. They also sound ridiculously *implausible* so I’m not going to waste 1 second worrying about them.

Forgive me, there's 2166¹ stories that have been posted, and I haven't read all of them (I'm currently working my way backwards again and I'm at last October). Much less remembered every single story in detail sufficient enough to find it again.

Regarding the second set of stories you’ve submitted, I haven’t looked at them yet, just the ones from your previous posts. If there’s better fiction on that site, you certainly haven’t done it any favors by presenting what look to be its worst examples here in past posts, but I’ll have a look at these new ones.

There's two thousand one hundred and sixty some stories on that site. Sturgeon's Law states that 90% of it is crap. And 90% of it is crap (although there's only been one story I was unable to read, it was some kind of social commentary on the uneducated...or something). They have a sizable collection of regular writers (about six?) and occasionally post things written by readers. Some of them are god awful, some of them are real gems. The ones I posted "in my previous posts" are rather middling. The one about the one-on-one death match is a favorite of a friend of mine, so probably is one of the gems. If I could find the one I was physically incapable of reading, that's probably the worst ever submitted (the entire thing was written in colloquial uneducated southern drawl....I think, I'm honestly not sure).

I will also submit, as a semi-whimsical entry with a serious message, The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant, billed and regarded as the first transhumanist fairy tale.

I can't think of any reply to this bit. I read and enjoyed the story, but can't form a coherent sentence about what I think of it, with regards to the discussion.

¹Give or take, due to leap years.

[CanRay]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Plan_Red Fear it, ya crazy mountain savage. Haha

Former mountain savage. I'm in the prairies now.

I fear Canadian Bacon more, however. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Draco18s]

I fear Canadian Bacon more, however. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

I've actually seen some of that movie. My physics professor in highschool was weird.

[JanessaVR]

I've actually seen some of that movie. My physics professor in highschool was weird.

Was he Dennis Hopper? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Draco18s]

Was he Dennis Hopper? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

No. Although that looks like a fun movie.

My physics teacher provided materials for us to have hot chocolate in class. We watched several (not-physics-related) movies (such as Top Gun). And I loved reading Discover Magazine just to point out things that had recently been disproved (he hated that so much, but he had his ways of teasing me back).