Ask A Genius 604: Odds, Ends, Odd Ends, and End Odds
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2021/07/11
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Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Go ahead.
Rick Rosner: Yeah, so there are numerous problems, even if achieving technological immortality were feasible. There are metaphysical issues that arise with living indefinitely. One of them is the need to continually acquire more memory to give meaning to your endless existence. Without an unlimited memory, you eventually reach a point where you start cycling through experiences. It’s like being stuck in a repetitive loop, and that doesn’t feel entirely satisfying. Furthermore, in the future, conscious entities and information processing systems will become more powerful and profound.
Apart from running out of memory as a human, you would also lack the capacity to comprehend things compared to these superior entities. Therefore, living indefinitely as a human, or something resembling a human, may not prove fulfilling in the long run. You might desire to evolve into something more, merge with other entities, or become part of an ever-changing information processing structure. This structure constantly sends off conscious beings to embark on various endeavors, only to reunite and merge back into the overall system. The human narrative we hold dear may not be the most satisfying thing for beings in a hundred, two hundred, five hundred, or a thousand years. That could be a good thing if we get the chance to transform into those beings and experience more profound forms of satisfaction. On the flip side, it could be problematic if we don’t have that opportunity. Extended lifespan raises numerous questions, some more immediate than others.
In general, we are the result of evolutionary processes that have no concern for our fulfillment. Evolution lacks a goal; it’s an indifferent process. We, on the other hand, have evolved to desire things that are beyond our reach.
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