Poll: Would you trade the ability to have children for immortality?

[deidara]

I went "Yes" as i don't want kids anyway. But if it wasn't "eternal youth" i wouldn't want it either. I remember seeing a cartoon sketch where this man spent all his money on immortality, but he kept aging and all he could do was sit motionless in one place. I mean who wants to be 300 years old, life would be a massive pain.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

No, I don't ever want to be immortal. ...not that my ability to have children is of much use right now.

 

[Weealzabob]

Not a chance. I would give up the chance to bear children if it would save my life, but I wouldn't give up the chance to create something miraculous for pretty much anything else.

I'm actually kind of shocked how many people have said they would opt for this. I know it's hypothetical, but the thought of giving up one of the integral parts of life so you could live through centuries or millenia watching nations rising and falling, bold new innovations becoming obsolete, and every new generation being washed over by the constant cascade of death would be in my opinion a horrifying and depressing life to live.

Again I know it's hypothetical, but that's my feeling on the matter.

Integral parts of life? Integral for the continuation in a broad sense, but far from integral for an individual to enjoy their particular life.

Besides, you want to talk about creation? Imagine what people can know and try to create themselves given a million years.

I know that it's not neccessary for people to have children to live happy lives, but I would feel like I'd be forfeiting a significant part of myself so I could view the world forever.

I'm not denying that if you could live through it all you would see some awesome stuff, but in my opinion seeing in a single lifetime the accomplishments and missteps of my children, would be far more amazing than all of humanity accomplishments and eventual downfalls.

 

[Smertnik]

That's kind of a silly choice, or rather an unbalanced one. I mean, you can always just adopt a kid if you so desire.

 

[DavidTanis]

As long as I don't age.

 

[lordlillen]

i have a brother he can continue our familys genes, and several cousins and immortality WITH children would be horrible having to see your own children grow up and die.

 

[tthor]

I would, but if most people did, i fear the social impact that a lack a new generations would have on society. As people grow older, they generally grow less open to new ideas and technology. Without new generations, it would stunt technological and social development of society. Think about it, if 90% of people were the age of your grandparents, do you think the computer and internet would have ever become what it is today? New generations bring about new ideas, new norms, new change. -and, if most people didn't have children, it would still create a social stigma against children,

 

[TheEndlessGrey]

I'd do it, but I don't think I'd actually live any longer than my projected life span is already. I'd just take advantage of a chance to guarantee being in good health until I get to somewhere around 80 or 90 and then jump off a building. Or whatever age I am when I get tired of being here.

 

[Womplord]

"Jumping off a building can kill you"
"Immortal"

ugh, thats NOT IMMORTALITY for christs sake... what the hell are you talking about...

Fuck!

 

[Otterby]

-You would be age immortal meaning if you were careful you could live forever (jumping of a tall building will kill you)

This is stupid. I want to be completely immortal I don't want to trade for my immortality only to be stabbed or shot and die anyways. Still even under this restriction I would probably choose yes, assuming I stay young and keep my mind.

http://www.cracked.com/article_17185_7-awesome-super-powers-ruined-by-science_p2.html

About not being killed by way of wounding... See point number 1: Immortality.

Ya I read that article, and it doesn't make a valid point. Yes you would probably be unwilling to form close relationships with people, since you know you'll outlive them, but the last part about the cosmos exploding and you floating around is stupid. If you really think humans are just gonna go fuck it sun is gonna explode soon, better say goodbye you have a very abysmal view of humanity. We are terribly clever when our asses our on the line.

Shit, with enough money and international support we could colonize other planets/ moons within a couple decades.

Ahh, no no, not that part. What I dread is that part about the possibility of you as a being that lives forever getting trapped somewhere with no way out except hope for somebody to find you - which might take millions of years - being 100%. Imagine being stuck in a collapsed mine, or the bottom of the ocean, or a malfunctioning spaceship headed for the ends of the universe, for years upon years with no company but yourself. I get really annoyed when I have to queue for an hour at the bank.

 

[NightHawk21]

-You would be age immortal meaning if you were careful you could live forever (jumping of a tall building will kill you)

This is stupid. I want to be completely immortal I don't want to trade for my immortality only to be stabbed or shot and die anyways. Still even under this restriction I would probably choose yes, assuming I stay young and keep my mind.

http://www.cracked.com/article_17185_7-awesome-super-powers-ruined-by-science_p2.html

About not being killed by way of wounding... See point number 1: Immortality.

Ya I read that article, and it doesn't make a valid point. Yes you would probably be unwilling to form close relationships with people, since you know you'll outlive them, but the last part about the cosmos exploding and you floating around is stupid. If you really think humans are just gonna go fuck it sun is gonna explode soon, better say goodbye you have a very abysmal view of humanity. We are terribly clever when our asses our on the line.

Shit, with enough money and international support we could colonize other planets/ moons within a couple decades.

Ahh, no no, not that part. What I dread is that part about the possibility of you as a being that lives forever getting trapped somewhere with no way out except hope for somebody to find you - which might take millions of years - being 100%. Imagine being stuck in a collapsed mine, or the bottom of the ocean, or a malfunctioning spaceship headed for the ends of the universe, for years upon years with no company but yourself. I get really annoyed when I have to queue for an hour at the bank.

If you're still on Earth you probably won't be stuck in a mine or anywhere without people coming to find you. Spaceship might be a different story, but honestly you could even just implant a simple GPS tracker into your arm and give the radio to someone or some machine that will alert people when you go missing or something, and if we get into spacetravel, your ship will likely be recorded as malfunctioning and picked up (I can't imagine they're so cheap you can just throw them away).