Sooo...I'm obviously gonna be the odd one out here, and maybe it's just because I'm only 28 years old, but I rather enjoy existing and am not particularly comfortable with the prospect of not existing any more, so yeah, given the option to live in this Universe indefinitely, I probably would. I imagine once things start winding down toward the Heat Death of the Universe, I'd start running out of things to do and might want to cut it off at some point, but barring that I wouldn't mind a life span that would grant me the opportunity to see reality and this planet grow and change over many, many human lifetimes. Maybe that opinion will change once I'm older, but right now I basically don't see a circumstance where I would be "ready" to die. I pretty much like living.


Incidentally, science recently discovered a form of injectable oxygen that can keep brains oxygenated without the need for respiration, bringing the potential for indefinite brain preservation and viable cryo technology much, much closer. Personally, I think that's kind of exciting.

Living is overrated! It's all in the mind.

(March 9, 2016 at 5:58 am)Redbeard The Pink Wrote: Sooo...I'm obviously gonna be the odd one out here, and maybe it's just because I'm only 28 years old, but I rather enjoy existing and am not particularly comfortable with the prospect of not existing any more, so yeah, given the option to live in this Universe indefinitely, I probably would. I imagine once things start winding down toward the Heat Death of the Universe, I'd start running out of things to do and might want to cut it off at some point, but barring that I wouldn't mind a life span that would grant me the opportunity to see reality and this planet grow and change over many, many human lifetimes. Maybe that opinion will change once I'm older, but right now I basically don't see a circumstance where I would be "ready" to die. I pretty much like living.


Incidentally, science recently discovered a form of injectable oxygen that can keep brains oxygenated without the need for respiration, bringing the potential for indefinite brain preservation and viable cryo technology much, much closer. Personally, I think that's kind of exciting.

I'm with you in principle. I could, just off the top of my head, find stuff to do for a 1000 years or 10000, without putting any serious thought into it, and I'm not exaggerating. I guess if I had 1000 years to think about it, I'd find stuff to do for the next 10000 years. Of course, eternity is very long, and I don't know what that would entail. In particular, the question arises whether I would have my usual brain capacity, or as much as I want? And if I had more brain capacity so I could actually get something out of all that time, would the resulting person even still be me in any sense of the word, and if I didn't get more brain capacity, after 10000 years probably all memory of my life now would be gone, and it wouldn't make a difference whether my old me died or was simply forgotten.

@OP Nope.  Probably explains why the carrot and stick routine fails to sway me,  huh?

Ronadee has serious anger issues.  

Some random atheist kid used to take his lunch money, and as a result AF is presented with this sort of shit every couple of months; whenever Ronadee feels "inadequate". 

It's so predictable.

(March 9, 2016 at 12:02 am)ronedee Wrote: Ok, anti's...... Do any of you wish for eternal life? You know? Live FOREVER?!

Seriously, if that is possible for any of you: I'd like to know the real reasons why you would NOT... which I'll assume most of you will answer.

And "IF" you do what to live forever. Why you would? 

Thanks ahead of time for your coherent, civil replies. 

I most definitely want to live forever, That is why I follow the light and love of FSM, All other paths only lead to painful boiling.

May his noodles one day save you too.  RAmen

(March 9, 2016 at 12:02 am)ronedee Wrote: Ok, anti's...... Do any of you wish for eternal life? You know? Live FOREVER?!

Seriously, if that is possible for any of you: I'd like to know the real reasons why you would NOT... which I'll assume most of you will answer.

And "IF" you do what to live forever. Why you would? 

Thanks ahead of time for your coherent, civil replies. 

No, I don't. I don't really want to live eternally in any place, because eventually I will have done as many things as anyone can think of, countless times. Eventually I'd want to be able to end my existence.

Second, you're talking about living eternally in a place where you think only what god wants you to think, and do only what god wants you to do. That is not a happy existence. That's like painting a smile on your face, because the only reason you'd be "happy" is that you're not allowed to feel other emotions. You get rewired the way someone else wants you to be, and that person is a narcissist. For god so loved the world my ass. The god of the bible doesn't know what love is.

No, eternal servitude doesn't appeal to me.

For Atheists and Theists to have this discussion to any constructive end,
the definition of what the reality of "Immortality" would actually BE like, must first be clarified.

When a Theist asks us if we want to live forever,
we have to also remember that a Theist wouldn't think of Eternal Life the same way an Atheist, would.

The Atheist considers the possibility of "Eternal Life" from a practical POV
and cannot avoid the conclusion that he would ultimately end up bored.

But when the Theist refers to "Eternal Life",
he is referring to this idyllic, drug-trip-like state of persistent, impossible, infinite euphoria,
where you are "one with God",
and you never feel anything negative, including boredom, ever again....like magic.

It reminds me of a line from "Interview with the Vampire" where the vampires are discussing how,
since the moment of their magical Vampire birth,
absolutely everything in the world now seems to pulse with a new energy it never had before,
and "had some fascination" to it.

I think this argument illustrates yet again how impossibly Theists and Atheists differ in their thought patterns,
because each will have difficulty accepting the other's version,
and each will be frustrated with the other's inability to see it as they, their opponent, does.

If God and Heaven exist, and Immortality is an impossibly, magically, perpetually-fascinating-yet-simultaneously-restful place
of no pain and no loss and no fatigue and no boredom
...then Yes, sure.  I'd sign up for that.

But I cannot, cannot, cannot believe in such a place. 

And goddamn if I will waste my brief time here on Earth passing up on enjoyments
or feeling bad about my basic human nature,
in the hopes that by doing so I will be granted a free pass to this absurd, mooted fairyland.

To address the concept of Immortality more from the Atheist's perspective,
I agree that forced Immortality would indeed be hellish,
and boredom would certainly, inevitably result.

(Note:  Anne Rice also touched on this subject:  in her Vampire books, the "young" vampires always seemed to struggle with the concept, too,
and often ended up walking into the sunlight to "kill" themselves because the prospect of Immortality was simply too much to bear).

However, I would love to have a Tardis, like in Doctor Who,
and be able to travel through time and space to different points, to enjoy the best parts.

Or, If I had a chance to re-live my life, and make some changes, I would take that opportunity.

I think the best version of "Immortality", for me,
would simply be my own life, as it is,
...just with none of the bad or unpleasant stuff that you don't want to do.

Youthfulness and good health to be indefinitely prolonged for both me and all my loved ones;
and time would just not pass nearly as quickly;
for example, my "30s" wouldn't be a mere 10 years, but more like 100 years,
and every day would just be a nice, interesting, easy day in normal life,
and the only excitement would be that which I chose to add,
...every day would just be a slow news day, with no tragedies or disasters or crimes.

Imagine it like you're having this interesting, pleasant dream,
but you have the control to prevent the dream from careening off the tracks into nightmare;

You don't know what's going to happen next, in the dream,
and it's always interesting,
but you have the power to avoid the unpleasant stuff.

That, to me, would be a version of Immortality worth having;
THAT would be my idea of Heaven.

But again, it is nonsense.

So what is the point of altering your real life, now, in the effort to chase rainbows?

(March 9, 2016 at 9:22 am)MTL Wrote: The Atheist considers the possibility of "Eternal Life" from a practical POV
and cannot avoid the conclusion that he would ultimately end up bored.

Or lonely, or sick, or insane, or crippled, or "eternally" aged.  Recall the story of Tithonus, whose lover Eos asked Zues to grant him eternal life...but forgot to mention eternal youth or vigor.  He ends up, predictably, begging for release...for death.  


So, even theists can think this through.

(March 9, 2016 at 12:12 am)ignoramus Wrote: Anti what? Not me.
How can anyone live forever when it is an absolute certainty that one day every last star including the red dwarfs will die.
Then our whole universe will be well and truly dead.

What makes you think anything can last forever?
Entropy and the arrow of time will ensure that nothing will.

All other notions are just flights of fancy.

Best bedtime story, EVER! [emoji13]