There's so much to do in this life but very little time to do it. There are people out there who would give anything to achieve immortality, and frankly, it's quite possible with the help of science, technology, and of course, loads of money. But, what would it be like if that happened?
A World Where Human Immortality Exists
First of all, immortality tech is still far from happening, but it's likely that it will happen no matter how far off it is in the future. It can be for living forever or extending one's lifetime with every session they get, but let's face it, no one will give it for free.
During its first few years, it will only be the one percent who will be able to afford it. It will cost millions if not billions, taking inflation into account. Knowing how tech companies operate, it will probably be subscription-based as well, where they won't give you just one shot for immortality.
In the event that it does become accessible to the middle class, more and more people will be granted the ability to live forever, and that's where overpopulation steps in. Without anyone passing away yet people are still being born, and we will continuously increase until it's unsustainable.
A lot of systems will also be greatly affected. What will be the age for retirement? What will be the allotted time span a monarch can rule if they live a thousand years? We will also lose sight of things that are precious because of the fact that our time is limited.
We have already proven that we can extend someone's lifetime naturally. Back in the 1900s, life expectancy was around 50 years old. As time went by in the 2000s, people could live through 90 years old, as mentioned in Tahawultech.
This is mainly due to the advancement of medicine and technology, as we now hold a wide array of knowledge to aid people when they are ill. For instance, there was a time when smoking was prescribed to cure a cough. Imagine that.
How Would It Be Possible?
There are many ways this can be achieved. Like the sci-fi movies you watch, immortality can be granted through medical or technological means, maybe even both. Biotechnology will soon discover ways to prolong someone's life through gene therapy or nanotechnology.
In the medical aspect, experts could start 3D printing working organs in the future to replace, for example, a liver that has been abused. But, there are several other factors that can lead to a person's demise, such as accidents and even murder.
There's also digital immortality, where humans would be able to upload their thoughts, memories, and knowledge through the cloud. But there is also a spiritual aspect to that. As pointed out by TechInAsia, would it really be you when your "consciousness" is digitally cloned?
Your thoughts be just ones and zeroes, kind of like instilling a personality in AI. Unless you'll have the capacity to learn in a digital state, it will be like your mind is frozen in time, never moving forward or back. Frankly, that deal kind of sucks.
