This story is pretty freaky and caught my eye as I pondered Rick Warren's acceptance of the Bible which tells us that Noah lived for 950 years: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/Story?id=7880954&page=1
This story affirms my view that human (and perhaps pet) aging will be significantly eradicated by advances in medical science in the years to come. If aging can be stalled, I predict a number of intriguing results:
1. Environmental calamity because, presently, human mortality is a huge release valve for our overcrowded world.
2. People will become hypochondriacs and much more averse to risks that we currently take for granted, such as highway driving.
3. The stock of religion, already in serious descent, will nosedive. Who will care about the supposed afterlife if it can be indefinitely put on hold?
I think I see Noah's Ark coming out from behind those falls...
ReplyDeleteSlight oversight here TAM, if this was cracked so that people could live for an indefinite amount of time, it doesn't mean they are invincible. You are assuming natural death. I don't think for one second that this would impact religion.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, i'd bet seeing as people would be living longer, they would perhaps see this as a repitition of 'history' - it might convince them more that jesus is on his way again.
Jeez, any time i post now i'm waiting on David brandishing it illogical and unreasonable. Lets hope he skips over this one.
Rab, I agree that these kinds of advances are not going to offer immortality. However, I am convinced that there is a strong correlation between short life expectancy and the appeal of theism. Simply put, religion is an easier sell if life is short and brutal. I don't have any statistics to support this but I strongly believe it to be true.
ReplyDeleteAs do i, but i don't think a significant decline in theism would occur if life expectancy was significantly increased - due to it differing from immortality.
ReplyDeleteI think the correlation is more strictly between death and theism.