The End of the World - Immortality Only 20 Years Away
Futurist Ray Kurzweil claims that nanotechnology will one day deliver immortality and provide a massive upgrade to the human condition: “Within 25 years we will be able to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath, or go scuba-diving for four hours without oxygen. Heart-attack victims will calmly drive to the doctors for a minor operation as their blood bots keep them alive. Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes…”
The initial reaction is excitement - how cool! And yes, who would not raise their hand when offered a cure for death - the ultimate and universal fear?
However, immortality would quickly warp our planet and our society so far out of whack, the snap would disastrous. The world’s population is already out of control, we cannot even afford food, water and healthcare for our existing population. Our cities are overcrowded and we are destroying the planet at an alarming rate. Can you imagine if the death rate suddenly fell to zero? The world population would explode - we would consume what little natural resources we have left with breakneck speed.
The Earth could not possibly sustain the human race - the only solution would be a simultaneous colonization of neighboring planets and eventually, solar systems. As the human race expanded, so too would the birthrate - more and more humans having more and more children. All the while, nobody is dying. Truly exponential population explosion. How far does the timeline go? How many planets could we occupy? How far-flung could the human race become before splitting off into separate factions in separate solar systems, with separate histories and separate cultures…
It raises interesting questions about scientific progress. Should we pursue new discoveries at any cost? With the ever-accelerating pace of discoveries about our world, and ever-more ingenious ways to manipulate it, what controls (if any) should we have in place to ensure a stable society? Is it possible our technology will be mankind’s greatest accomplishment, and also our ultimate demise?
I wonder, will the Singularity be the beginning, or actually the end?
