Death is a transfer of energy. I want to define energy because being vague is only fun when searching for abstract ideas of abstract concepts. The energy I'm talking about is the energy that sustains life as we know it. The chemical conversion of energy stored in matter to energy that can be used to perform work. I guess you could equate this with Calories.
When a living being can no longer absorb the required energy to survive, its function as a living thing ceases and it dies. So the transfer of energy that is death is a net loss for the organism that previously had said energy. The transfer is a loss, relative to the organism. This simple concept is common to all forms of life, self-conscious or not, and is fundamental to both.
What I want to focus on now, in this context, is the idea of conquering this natural and seemingly inevitable process. Humans have been extremely successful in spreading out over the various environments of this planet. Every stage of long term adaptation of homo sapiens has stemmed from the use of technology. From stone and flint, to agriculture and animal husbandry, to words and language and written symbols. Especially in the case of the latter, humanity has been able to acrue knowledge and wisdom to better suit their environment to their preference.
This manifest adaptation even goes beyond what one would normally consider a traditional environment. In social situations adapting can be key to survival, or at least efficient function in a society. Understanting who is in charge or how social processes work, for example, can more often than not determine how long an individual can sucessfully survive and thrive in a social setting.
FInally, let me sum all my points togeather. Humans are dominant on planet Earth because we have the skill to adapt to various environments. These environments need not be traditional in the sense on physical environments. Death is a common feature of all living things. Birth leads to death. Can the very real conditions of life and death not also be considered as non-traditional environments? Can death lead to life? Can we not control death?
I want to make explicitly clear here that I am not discussing suicide. Yes suicide is a choice when it comes to choosing when a being dies, but the choice is permanent. In the context of environments, the change between life and death is not a premanent decision. It is a barrier to be crossed and to return from. Not something to permanently stay on one side or the other. Life is challenging, death is peaceful, it's the transition that is troublesome. Why does it have to be troublesome? Why do we have to lose when the border is transgressed?
I also want to make abundanly clear that I do not have the power to overcome death. This, er, essay is merely a philosophical statement that in essence says: if we have the technology we should pursue it.
Now! The fun part, moral dilemmas. And as always, non-existant invisible audience, feel free to comment and disagree with me because that is the only way we are aver going to get anywhere, that is the only way we can refine arguments and really determine what is worth arguing about. Arguing changes the nature of truth, let's change it together.
The greatest and most pressing moral, and prehaps physical, dilemma is the case of over population. That if we have the technology to prevent death and even return people from death, that there will be too many people alive. That death, the natural conclusion to any living organisms life, is natural for a reason. There is only one solution to this, something that I will most surely address in later posts, expansion.
If we can extend our lifetimes, the universe becomes not just a dream or a longing gaze at the night sky, but a real, tangible location. As real and as close as a room in your house or a convenience store down on the corner. If we can take a greater chunk of time, we can explore these wonders. These pillars of existance that, for all intents and purposes, streach out to infinity. Suddenly, leaving this cradle, this earth, becomes a reality. The stars are our new home, space is our highway. An interstellar civilization. A level of production, of trade, of communication, of ideas, of imagination, of art, of thought, of wisdom....that no one in the history of this planet could ever even begin to picture. A renaissance ten-thousand times greater than the European Renaissance. A flow of ideas that you can not even understand. Every corner and strech of humanity vibrantly alive. ....and people wonder why I think we should leave this planet....it's too small, I say.
But I don't think it's going to be all hopes and dreams. Wars will probably be worse. As technology advances, weapons become more deadly. Atrocities will probably become worse before they become better. Disparity in economic wealth. Political dominance and control over subservient populations. Human rights abuses. I guess, you could say, that it's going to get much better and much worse. But it has to get worse, before it can get better....
Wow, that was a romp through my mind. Exits are to your left and we hope you had a good time. Echo One-Three-Six Air appriciates your business and we hope that you will fly with us again soon! .....luggage can be picked-up at carousel 14...
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