Recent news is that scientists can cure death and we humans can live forever. What does this
mean for society?
Quip 1033b
Recent progress has stem cell researchers stating emphatically that they now believe that they can
keep a person alive for 1000 years. Of course, such a claim will quickly grow into “living forever”.
Are we going to offer these procedures under Medicare? By what date will one worker support
1000 retired people?
Obviously it won’t take long for us to consider death by “natural causes” to be a cruel and unusual
punishment. Such a cruelty must be caused by rich people not wanting to share their financial
resources to help the poor to live forever. Then we will want to keep those cute polar bears at the
zoo alive forever as well. I expect to get a fund-raising letter from my local zoo to that effect. Are
we going to offer these procedures to the poor people in Botswana via Oxfam? After all, the poor of
the world should be able to live for 1000 years, too. But then aren’t we responsible for feeding
them as well? Won’t I get a letter that says that the $1000 that I gave was used to keep 1000 poor
people alive for 1000 years but now they might die if I don’t send them $1.27 cents per day per
person for food? That is only $1270 per day to feed 1000 people, and I should consider it a
bargain. I am clearly morally obligated to feed those people whom I kept alive, aren’t I?
Are we going to be kind and make these longevity procedures available to people on death row so
that they don’t die of natural causes while waiting for their appeals? We wouldn’t want any such
injustice such as that. After all, they might win their appeal on a technicality and be able to sue
the government for millions and then go out and kill again while making sure that they
themselves live forever. How about serial killers. We need to understand what made them kill and
to do this we need to keep them alive so that we can scan their brains and figure out what made
them kill.
How about poor Terry Schiavo? Shouldn’t she have her persistent vegetative state extended for
5000 years? I suspect that I will receive a fundraiser from people who will be using the money to
keep her parents alive so that they can continue to fight for their daughter’s life in spite of that
mean cruel husband who wants to give up on her after only 15 years. If you disagree, then you are
a cruel person with no heart that probably wants to kill baby polar bears in order to use their
blubber to grease your oil drilling rigs in Alaska.
If nobody dies of natural causes, then death occurs only by a purposeful act like war, suicide and
murder. This tends to make being a murderer a matter of survival. Kill or be killed. When
humans stop dying, won’t the price of food and housing go up? Can I purchase a futures contract
on a bushel of corn to be delivered in 2015?
Donbot
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mean for society?
Quip 1033b
Recent progress has stem cell researchers stating emphatically that they now believe that they can
keep a person alive for 1000 years. Of course, such a claim will quickly grow into “living forever”.
Are we going to offer these procedures under Medicare? By what date will one worker support
1000 retired people?
Obviously it won’t take long for us to consider death by “natural causes” to be a cruel and unusual
punishment. Such a cruelty must be caused by rich people not wanting to share their financial
resources to help the poor to live forever. Then we will want to keep those cute polar bears at the
zoo alive forever as well. I expect to get a fund-raising letter from my local zoo to that effect. Are
we going to offer these procedures to the poor people in Botswana via Oxfam? After all, the poor of
the world should be able to live for 1000 years, too. But then aren’t we responsible for feeding
them as well? Won’t I get a letter that says that the $1000 that I gave was used to keep 1000 poor
people alive for 1000 years but now they might die if I don’t send them $1.27 cents per day per
person for food? That is only $1270 per day to feed 1000 people, and I should consider it a
bargain. I am clearly morally obligated to feed those people whom I kept alive, aren’t I?
Are we going to be kind and make these longevity procedures available to people on death row so
that they don’t die of natural causes while waiting for their appeals? We wouldn’t want any such
injustice such as that. After all, they might win their appeal on a technicality and be able to sue
the government for millions and then go out and kill again while making sure that they
themselves live forever. How about serial killers. We need to understand what made them kill and
to do this we need to keep them alive so that we can scan their brains and figure out what made
them kill.
How about poor Terry Schiavo? Shouldn’t she have her persistent vegetative state extended for
5000 years? I suspect that I will receive a fundraiser from people who will be using the money to
keep her parents alive so that they can continue to fight for their daughter’s life in spite of that
mean cruel husband who wants to give up on her after only 15 years. If you disagree, then you are
a cruel person with no heart that probably wants to kill baby polar bears in order to use their
blubber to grease your oil drilling rigs in Alaska.
If nobody dies of natural causes, then death occurs only by a purposeful act like war, suicide and
murder. This tends to make being a murderer a matter of survival. Kill or be killed. When
humans stop dying, won’t the price of food and housing go up? Can I purchase a futures contract
on a bushel of corn to be delivered in 2015?
Donbot
Next
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