-- Rough Draft
"Why Immortality?"
By Michael Anissimov
Birth, life, death. For as long as there have been biological replicating machines, these machines have been genetically predestined to one day deteriorate into the same kind of basic organic compounds from which they were originally built. Biologist Richard Dawkins sums up the situation wonderfully with his “selfish genes” metaphor – the genes are what are really in "control" of the “survival machines” they create; we’re just along for the ride. Every single facet of human life and culture arises (albeit in a very complex fashion) from the 750MB of DNA floating in the nucleus of every one of our cells. Relatively recently, scientists and futurists have begun to examine the possibility that we may take control over our own biology and stop or reverse the aging process indefinitely. A growing philosophical contingent that call themselves “immortalists” not only believe in the possibility of curing death, but take an activist stance in spreading these ideas and rallying a War Against Death. Death also particularly bothers immortalists because 150,000 people die every day – deaths which have the potential to be prevented with sufficiently advanced technology. There are altruistic and egoistic motivations behind the quest for immortality.
For a moment, put aside all the political and social baggage attached to the concepts of death and immortality, and let’s examine the initial producer and continued sustainer of death – the evolutionary process.
Ever since the big bang, the emergent result of the laws of physics were creations of progressively more complex, "extropic", and stable patterns in matter. DNA-based organisms represent an advance over the stability of inanimate matter – mountains may stay around for many millions of years, but eventually their form is perturbed by geological disturbances or erosion. DNA molecules, couched snuggly within their continually more adaptive survival machines across the eons, are able to increase their complexity and stability through increasingly rapid methods of replication, mutation, and selection. Although DNA cannot think or willfully increase its own complexity over time, it seems fair to say that the unique DNA molecule found a “computational niche” in the vast phase equation of the universe which allows it to increase its stability and complexity at a much greater rate than the muds from which it emerged. Vast new design spaces and possibilities opened for the arrangement of matter.
Everything went perfectly smooth for DNA for billions upon billions of years, but a few million years ago, a survival machine started to model itself cognitively within the complex connections of its own nervous system, and take actions accordingly. Self-awareness was created.
Since the dawn of sentience, homo sapiens has learned how to use tools and amazing “tricks” to accelerate its own progress outside of the constraints of traditional biological evolution. Technology is created by humans and used to carry out their will; although technology has resulted in setbacks over the centuries, humans generally prefer to play positive sum games so general progress does take place. Technology has begun to permit diminishing investments relative to huge returns in standards of living. Average human lifespan has been increasing linearly and then exponentially in the past 500 years or more.
A lot of outdated memes surround the notion of immortality. Contrary to popular religious views, there’s nothing waiting for us after death. No spiritual or extraphysical world of any sort exists. If your intuitions are that people make up the afterlife as a tool to control others or feel better about their own lives on Earth, you’re correct. The concept of an afterlife is completely contradicted by our observations of reality. Scientific materialism is the best model of the world we have, and we must take action based on those constraints, rather than pretending the constraints aren’t there.
One thing human minds often notice about death: death is almost always morally and emotionally negative, to some person or another. Nonconsensual killing without the approval of the tribe has always been frowned upon, and has been officially considered criminal back to Mosaic Law and before. What percentages of death are voluntary? Not many. If given the opportunity to live forever and the intelligence to effectively solve any difficulties thereof, the vast majority of the human race would propel themselves full throttle towards immortality.
Human minds are potentially much more powerful machines than DNA strands, even though the latter created the former, in the same sense that DNA strands are more powerful machines than rocks. The “higher goals” of the universe in any specific locality (like Earth) seem to be shaped by the most adapted or complicated patterns of matter there at any given time, and in the same way that early life converted the atmosphere into mostly oxygen rather than nitrogen, human beings have already optimized large portions of the planet technologically with constructs that accelerate and improve the flow of information and ideas. The design pressure of intelligence is gaining force, and will inevitably cross paths with and violently contradict the blind programming of nature. Mankind will soon have the will and the means to abolish the evil of death into the indefinite future, navigating itself towards an eternity of glorious life and progress. Help participate in one of the greatest triumphs over the cold, cruel universe that sentient life will ever accomplish!
