Poll: What would you chose?

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  1. #1
    Deleted

    Choice of immortality

    I thought of a scenario. It's all made-up, so no "but this couldn't happen", so in this scenario this is what happens.

    Let's say tomorrow a way to make people immortal is achieved. Immortality engines are built and everyone can become immortal.
    However, there's a catch. The Immortality Engine fixes all your diseases and makes you young again, something like 25 years old with no diseases of any kind. However, to do this, the Immortality Engine needs the original you to make the undying undiseased you. All your knowledge is preserved, all your emotions, memories, etc, all preserved, just that your body is made 25, healthy and immortal. In case by some accident you'd die, the Immortality Engine would make a new you. To counter for this, we colonize other planets, so space and resources are not an issue.

    However... to make the "perfect" you, the Immortality Engine destroys the original you. All your knowledge, memories and emotions are transmitted, you can still learn new stuff, experience new stuff, etc. But the truly original you is gone. And here's the catch, to live forever, you'd only do so by the memories of your exact clone (in terms of memory, experiences and emotions, body wise it might be a bit different unless you're already 25 and healthy).

    You have 1 month to chose:
    -you can enter the Immortality Engine, become immortal and forever healthy but through your clone, while the original is destroyed. However, if you belive your conscience or soul or whatever you belive in is transferred, then you have nothing to worry about... but you can't say for certain since other clones of people you knew say they're the same, but are they, or is it just because the Engine copied them perfectly?
    -you can decline the offer, however, because the people who accepted the offer never want to suffer again after losing a loved one, you'll be exiled to a planet similar to Earth with other people who declined where you can live your life as you do today and die, to forever be dead.

    What would you chose?

  2. #2
    Scarab Lord Zhangfei's Avatar
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    I'd like to die someday, so no.
    In fact as far as I'm aware the UK is the only european nation that outright bans guns for civilians.
    Shotguns I'll give you (provided you're allowed 12 and larger gauges... because I mean... come on...) but not .22s.
    This is why people ban guns. Gun supporters don't know what guns are.

  3. #3
    I have no desire to be immortal, I would pass.

  4. #4
    Being immortal sounds like too much work.
    게임 은 어렵~~

  5. #5
    Merely a Setback Sunseeker's Avatar
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    Since I don't believe in a meta-physical aspect to humans that cannot be duplicated, I'd have no problem with this.

    Of course, I certainly hope the remade 25-year-old me is a little better looking.
    Human progress isn't measured by industry. It's measured by the value you place on a life.

    Just, be kind.

  6. #6
    Oh gosh. This is a question of philosophy. My mind is still mine and that can't be transferred, it's not me that they're making, even with memories and experiences and all it's just a clone, and I want to live.

    No.

  7. #7
    Legendary! Vizardlorde's Avatar
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    Not in that way since I can never be sure that the clones will be like me. I'd rather be exiled than dying to give birth to lookalikes who will not follow my will.

  8. #8
    The Patient Someudontno's Avatar
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    This is definitely an interesting circumstance. Living forever happy and healthy sounds delightful, but there are many things about the machine that you mentioned that would make me hesitant. Would there be any way that the machine could malfunction? If I lived through my cloned body, would I feel the same way I do now, or would there be....something different about me; some minute difference that I will forever acknowledge and endure? I honestly don't know what I would do given that ultimatum...I would absolutely need that month to think about it.

  9. #9
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    Exile, a clone is not you, even a perfect one.
    Unless they implant your brain into the clone body
    Also, dying would be nice after a couple of deceniums (century if I stay healthy, wich I probably wont )

    immortality sounds nice, but only the wizard/magic kind of immortality, because after living a few centuries, you will get bored unless you can have some kewl magic to create an army of minions to conquer the world.

    But even that will get boring after some more centuries
    Last edited by RüneRS; 2012-11-05 at 07:26 PM.
    ∞=0
    0/2 = 0 , ∞/2 = ∞
    2/0 = error , 2/∞ = error
    0*2 = 0 , ∞*2 = ∞

  10. #10
    I'm usually one of those people that wants immortality, but in this case I'd rather just be mortal. I don't really consider a clone...me. I believe that a soul or something like that exists, maybe if my direct brain was put into the clone I'd do it, but just my memories...that's not me.
    X

  11. #11
    Merely a Setback Adam Jensen's Avatar
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    It depends. Will the new me be me, or just a copy that thinks its me? Will I cease to exist? Or will my being transfer to the new body?

    Reminds me of Mass Effect 3, when the Commander is at the Cerberus base and learns about how (s)he was rebuilt by Cerberus and asks "maybe I'm just a high tech VI who think's I'm Commander Shepard." The point is, are we more than our bodies? What precisely makes a person who he is and can that actually be duplicated or transferred to another entity?
    Putin khuliyo

  12. #12
    Hmm bring on the cloning.

  13. #13
    There's the whole Total Recall element to this too. Since they destroy the original, who's to say the clone is really you? Really your memories, your personality, experiences, and sensibilities? I'd never know if my mind was still my own after the transfer. It'll be exile for me.

  14. #14
    There can be only one.

  15. #15
    Void Lord Aeluron Lightsong's Avatar
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    No thanks. I'll take neither.
    #TeamLegion #UnderEarthofAzerothexpansion plz #Arathor4Alliance #TeamNoBlueHorde

    Warrior-Magi

  16. #16
    Well it wouldn't actually be you if you took immortality, I voted no for my current age. When I'm older, I would take it.[COLOR="red"]

    There's also the problem with "feeling". If I can't feel stuff I wouldn't be able to feel pain but I also wouldn't be able to feel good stuff. Like Metallo in Superman
    Last edited by Baracuda; 2012-11-05 at 07:38 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by kbarh View Post
    may i suggest you check out wowwiki or any similar site, it's Grom that orders the murder of Cairne

  17. #17
    If the immortality thing came with a future option to tell this machine not to make a new copy of me when I died, I'd go for it. I don't think I'd like enforced immortality, because who knows what will happen in the future? A few millennia from now I might decide I've lived a full life and can die happy.

    Beyond that, I'd take it in a heartbeat. If it's transferring everything I am (all my thoughts, emotions, experiences, memories, everything) absolutely perfectly, then the new copy is me. We are not the physical atoms that make up our bodies, else someone would become less of a person if they lost their leg in an injury. I couldn't care less what happens to the physical shell I previously occupied, as long as who I am remains absolutely intact.

    Edit: The above assumes that the OP meant exactly what they were saying in that this hypothetical machine really does transfer your entire mental makeup. If there's some reason to believe it might leave stuff out, I'd have to think about it. Depending on the chances I might go for it anyway, or I might not. A .0000000000000000000001% failure rate is pretty good odds - most of us beat far worse odds every time we get on a plane. I'd go for it. A 10% failure rate? Not so much. Also... would I know the difference if it failed? If I'd never know that something was missing, how could I be upset over it? Did you feel bad when my cat died last year? Of course not. You may have a moment of sympathy for me now, but that's because I brought it to your attention. Before you knew about it, you didn't care in the slightest. The same would apply to (minor) missing memories.
    Last edited by Liagala; 2012-11-05 at 07:46 PM.

  18. #18
    I wouldn't want to live forever, so I'm pretty sure my immortal clone wouldn't either. So, no clone for me! It's not that I see any conflict with the mind or the soul or whatever, but like a previous poster said, I want to die someday.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Someudontno View Post
    This is definitely an interesting circumstance. Living forever happy and healthy sounds delightful, but there are many things about the machine that you mentioned that would make me hesitant. Would there be any way that the machine could malfunction? If I lived through my cloned body, would I feel the same way I do now, or would there be....something different about me; some minute difference that I will forever acknowledge and endure? I honestly don't know what I would do given that ultimatum...I would absolutely need that month to think about it.
    The machine can't malfunction.

    And to second question, it depends on where you stand. I'd need to ask if you think your conscience would be transfered through your knowledge, memories and emotions? If yes, then nothing would be different from your current life unless you're ill or too old/young now, things that would be fixed. If the answer to my question is no, then you'd be dead. Your perfect clone would feel exactly what you feel, think exactly as you think etc, with no difference though. Mind-speaking, the clone is perfect.

    ---------- Post added 2012-11-05 at 09:45 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by orissa View Post
    It depends. Will the new me be me, or just a copy that thinks its me? Will I cease to exist? Or will my being transfer to the new body?

    Reminds me of Mass Effect 3, when the Commander is at the Cerberus base and learns about how (s)he was rebuilt by Cerberus and asks "maybe I'm just a high tech VI who think's I'm Commander Shepard." The point is, are we more than our bodies? What precisely makes a person who he is and can that actually be duplicated or transferred to another entity?
    Same question to you, if you think your conscience is transfered by the transfer of memories/emotions/knowledge, then yes, the clone would be you, if you don't, no, the clone is just someone who thinks exactly like you to the very last detail, it's a copy of you while the real you is gone, lost in the Engine and turned to dust.

    ---------- Post added 2012-11-05 at 09:46 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by buck008 View Post
    There's the whole Total Recall element to this too. Since they destroy the original, who's to say the clone is really you? Really your memories, your personality, experiences, and sensibilities? I'd never know if my mind was still my own after the transfer. It'll be exile for me.
    The clone would think it's you. But would you think it's you're yourself or just a perfect copy?

  20. #20
    Mechagnome jtmzac's Avatar
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    Sounds like eve online. Not my preferred form of immortality but better than not being immortal so I would definitely do it. I just want science to improve to the point where we can get full prosthetic bodies like ghost in the shell: stand alone complex.

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