Should human beings have pre-determined life spans.?

Question

If everyone knew that there lives would be terminated at a certain age, say 75, wouldn't that make everyone use their allotted time much more wisely than they do now?

Answer 1

they already do this in the UK , the poor die on average 30 years younger than the wealthy .

Answer 2

Right now we have an unknown amount of "allotted" time. You would think that under those circumstances since we don't know when our "time is up" that we would always make sure to use the time we have more wisely. I don't believe that by terminating a life at 75 (which would be a known amount of time that we would be given) that people would change. All that means is that if you were lucky enough and wise enough not to get in an accident or get a terminal illness before the age of 75 your reward would be termination.

Answer 3

People's lifespans are predictable with increasing accuracy. Unfortunately the answer varies a lot... I bet with enough research you could generate a 100-question questionnaire which would predict someone's life expectancy to the nearest 5 years with 80% accuracy. Particularly in the western world, where life is more stable. What's your gender, do you smoke, what's your body mass index, home post code, what results did you get at school, etc. There'd always be the 20% that surprise you though, another film reference: Gattaca.

Answer 4

Gene Roddenberry explored that question in one of his Star Trek stories. Interesting question. Assuming that we chose 75 as the practical time to end it all, is that to say that anyone over that age has nothing to offer the world? No wisdom? No experience?
No love to give?
Perhaps we should consider that we do indeed already have pre-deternined life spans, though the determination is not of our own earthly making.

Answer 5

it doesnt neccessarily mean that people would spend their time more wisely, surely as the time loomed when you were going to die you'd be extremely scared still and not want to die, wouldnt this mean that more and more people would go a little mad knowing when they were going to drop down dead?
would it also mean that all fatal illnesses (and things that can cause people to die when they're young) would not exist, because they can shorten your life span, this surely wouldnt comply with a pre-determined life span, unless everyone's was different, and it everyone's pre-determined life span was different, how would you know what yours was?
how do you know you dont already have a pre-determined life span and that its an individual thing in your genetic make-up?!?

Answer 6

We all know more or less of our life span but we live the way we live. Suppose you know that you are going to live to be 80 years. So tell me what changes are you going to make?

Answer 7

Yes but at the age of 1500 life is great

Answer 8

NASA says 150 max by the 2050

Answer 9

Look up an old movie ... "Blade Runner"
when you start to give governments powers about things like that, they take more and more ... then, to give the greatest experience to those living on earth, you can enjoy anything you want ... except your 36th birthday

EDIT: oops, latrail was right ... it was "Logan's Run"

Answer 10

Hmm! Good question. Everyone should know that they're time will be up any time. We are here on this planet temporarily. So we should make better use of the life we have left. "Death is death and life is but an illusion".

Answer 11

No, since if I knew the exact date of my death, in the final year, I would commit every obscenity, every crime, every transgression known to humankind in the full knowledge that the law would never be able to punish me.