From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Feb 03 2003 - 20:37:50 MST
Eliezer wrote:
> gts wrote:
>> It's poetry, guys -- not a statement about the pros and cons of
>> life-extension.
>>
>> Jack London's idea is that it is better to live an active and
>> memorable life, even one that entails great risk, than to live a
>> boring and unremarkable life.
>
> And Damien correctly pointed out that this is a false dualism.
If the activity and excitement and risks of an action are related to its
memorability, as they certainly are, then I fail to see any false
dualism.
An astronaut who risks becoming a BBQ item each time he re-enters the
atmosphere certainly has a less boring and more remarkable life than
someone who flips hamburgers at McDonald's. And it is certainly better,
according to Jack London, to be the astronaut rather than the
burger-flipper.
But, anyway, I was only feeling sentimental about the fate of the
Columbia's astronauts when I quoted Jack London. My post was not
intended to initiate a philosophical debate.
-gts
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