Do you believe in immortality?

Question

Do you believe that there are immortal beings among us?

Answer 1

As a thought experiment, suppose that clinical immortality were possible, in which through advanced life support machinery or similar, the bodily functions of a comatose human could be kept running in perpetuity. Is it good news to keep a vegetative human's heart pumping for aeons? According to the vast majority of ethicists, "Not at all," since unending biological functioning is not what is at issue in immortality. Ultimately, what one desires is some sort of permanent preservation of personal identity, not just unceasing metabolic integrity.

This brings up the philosophical issue of the meaning of consciousness. As another thought experiment, suppose a surgeon replaces part of a man's brain with a pacemaker (this is actually done to treat Parkinson's). After this procedure is done, the patient comes out of his anesthesia feeling like the same person. For the intentions of this experiment, suppose that doctors already fully understand the brain and are able to successfully move sections of the brain's neural network and memories onto hardware where they can perfectly emulate the "architecture" of the brain. Over a period of time, suppose that the individual has many more operations with the intent of gradually replacing parts of his brain with computer hardware. Eventually, the man has a brain made entirely out of computer parts. The man comes out claiming that he is the same person as before. He has the same memories and acts the same.

Now suppose that instead of replacing parts of his brain with hardware, he copies the entire brain onto hardware. The computerized version of this man's brain acts the same way, and claims that it is the same man who underwent the procedure. The original man is still alive, however. Are the machine and the man the same person? Are they somehow linked in consciousness? These are the types of situations that illustrate the lack of knowledge concerning the meaning of consciousness that we as a civilization currently possess.

Answer 2

I believe in immortals, and that they are among us, only... ah, you wouldn't understand, we're not how people think, we do not live one infinite life, we have an infinite number of lives, but, most of us, do not remember the previous lives, i don't know why, but i think that the memories remain within the former bodies, anyway, i can remember.... and.... it's not so nice, if i werent an immortal i still would have belived, for that is the mind that fate chose to put in my body, i don't believe, the life you have, will be the only one, you have to let, your body sleep, to let your soul evolve.....


flammos200 on Y!mess.

Answer 3

I believe that there are some people around us who feel more in touch with their souls. Hence, they understand that a soul is immortal - not the physical body - and as carriers of that soul, they themselves are immortal, in a sense.

Answer 4

The Mau Mau believe that by consuming the beating hearts of their adversaries, they would take their souls...

On another note, immortality would be great so long as there is always something interesting to do.

Answer 5

When I look at mom and dad, then look in the mirror, I know then that they are immortal. They've already been reborn in me. As I will pass it on to my children (if I....), and they'll beget another two-sided copy....

Of course I believe in immortality. It's called DNA.

Answer 6

I don't know about immortality, but I helped Noah count the animals onto the ark

Answer 7

All "concept/believing" is self-deluding, because of the fact those are self-built and don't stand by myself as fact. to correctly known something, one would desire to be that element, in any different case we are able to basically wager, hypothesize, imaginate (confident, i built that word in a 2d of playfulness), think, assume, and want. i understand what that is to be a woman, this woman quite; yet i won't understand what that is to be a guy, nor will believing i understand make it so. we are immortal, yet do no longer "understand" it, in any different case we does no longer go through the visual allure of dying as we do. till we end believing in mortality, we can't experience immortality. we are a custom of believers, even believing contained in the regulation of allure, which operates interior the parameters of the phantasm wherein we glance living. concept structures abound; we don't lack selection from an incredible array in this dream. as long as we adhere to those conditioned structures, we are guaranteed to the fantasies they weave for us. as quickly as that is seen that those concept structures are made up of spun cotton, having no substance, we are loose to be the immortals that we are. i'm Sirius

Answer 8

Of course. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, right? Energy animates us. So we're all immortal, only our material selves fall apart and we periodically have to shed them. There are, of course, plenty of creatures who have long since given up, or never started living in physical bodies.

Answer 9

immortality is something that really, still exsits but it is upto the individual to realise its worth...it depends on ur deeds in ur past life, if u shall be granted immortality. and i believe that true immortality is,when ur name is remembered long after u r gone...

Answer 10

yes..i do, cos i'm one of the immortals! but seriously there are supposedly seven immortals born of at least partly mortal heritage