The Scientific Conquest of Death by Immortality Institute

Author:Immortality Institute [Immortality Institute]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Science, Philosophy & Social Aspects
ISBN: 9789875611351
Google: EakLzDV-xJ0C
Amazon: 9875611352
Publisher: Bruce Klein
Published: 2004-01-15T03:23:24+00:00

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Medical Time Travel

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Essays on Infinite Lifespans

Brian Wowk

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CHAPTER II: PERSPECTIVES

Ethics, Sociology and Philosophy

We could end it here. The scientific story has been told, the experts have made their predictions, and the options have been presented. But the Institute’s mission has always been more encompassing. Many questions have been brought up: About what it means to be human, about what it means to be mortal; about the society of the future and the dreams that shape it today. In this section, we will encounter those who are enthusiastically supportive and those who are deeply skeptical of the quest for immortality.

But this section is not just about moral wrongs and (human) rights. We are also asked to consider deeper philosophical questions about time, identity, and our outlook on death and life.

We begin with “Some Ethical and Theological Considerations” by Brad F. Mellon. The editors must con-fess that in light of the recent statements made by the US

President’s Council on Bioethics, we were pleasantly surprised to encounter such a measured and thoughtful analysis of the relationship between Christianity and the scientific conquest of death. In concluding, Mellon leaves us with at least two questions: Why should we fear death and should we spend resources more wisely?

The latter question is often paraphrased as a Malthusian concern about limited resources. Surely there are too many people already? Yet, immortalist philosopher and founder of 153

Ethics, Sociology and Philosophy

the extropian transhumanist movement, Max More, argues that “Superlongevity without Overpopulation” is entirely feasible.

Another instinctive objection to the scientific conquest of death is to claim that dying is, after all, natural.

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