Making Immortality a Reality

The concept of immortality has different meanings to different people. For believers in Abrahamic religions (like Christianity and Islam), the general consensus is that the human soul is immortal, but the body is not. For the ancient Greeks, there’s a bit more debate on whether the soul is immortal or if we simply cease to exist once we die. There are countless religions and spiritual practices who have had some kind of Elixir of Life recipe that was thought to stop aging. Some scientists and entrepreneurs, however, are trying to push the limits of the human body and find out of we actually can live forever, both physically and mentally.

There’s a lot of different ways immortality has been somewhat explored in modern times, from our ever increasing life spans thanks to new medicines and technology to cryonics, which is essentially freezing people and hoping they can be revived in the future with the right technology. Even anti-aging skin care products contribute to this concept, with the emphasis on looking as young as you can for as long as you can. Thus, it’s not a new concept, but there’s a lot more people who are really researching how to make this possible with the use of science and technology.

Of course, Elon Musk is working in this field with his company Neuralink. They have a transhumanist view on immortality, which means that they believe that advancements in science and technology can make the human race evolve greatly. Neuralink intends to integrate technology and hardware into our bodies to get to immortality, like with brain chips and implants. Other people are going with a more biology focused approach, which usually involves stem cell research. One notable one involves routinely replacing old cells in the human body with new ones to keep is young and healthy forever, like as imagined in Neuromancer.

What would this mean for society though? Most likely, this technology would be confined to the wealthiest or most powerful people in the world before slowly trickling down to the general public. What impact would this have on world population? Climate change? Even authoritarian regimes? Imagine if Kim Jong Un or Vladmir Putin or even Elon Musk were able to remain immortal. Would we still thrive as a society, or would we end up spiralling into a dystopia straight out of a YA novel?
It’s interesting to consider the impacts immortality could have on us as a whole, both positive and negative. It’s already a part of our culture in some ways, but there’s a chance it might actually be achieved one day. While there are probably some benefits to this research that will affect us positively, I’m not sure it would be the best path for us to take.