> It's quite a serious matter though ... it would be terrible to belong to
> the last generation before mankind liberates itself from the sell-by date
> hardwired into us by evolution. Previous generations didn't have even the
> possibility presented to them so they couldn't agonize about missing the
> boat. It's different now though.
Exactly. And this will no doubt cause some interesting social effects. In
a sf story I read a *long* time ago, there was a mention of the period
just before immortality became practical - the entire world knew it was
coming in a matter of months, and people lived very carefully, almost in a
state of hopeful meditation (except for some, who celebrated it by risking
their lives "for the sake of all who died before us").
In an immortal population, the ability to handle change will determine
age-stratification. People who cannot adapt will remain in their own
generation-culture, forming an ever growing set of relatively static
cultures, while more flexible people will form their own system. The
differences will become noticeable after a certain time.
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Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
nv91-asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~nv91-asa/main.html
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