Is immortality possible?

Here, as I promised, is my article.
Disclaimer: This is strictly my point of view, and what is written is based on my own understanding and from articles read in H+ magazine and Wikipedia.

Topic: Is it possible to be immortal via melding with machines?


Content
1) Introduction
2) The Human Body
- Blood
- Brain
- Heart
- Lungs
- Digestive tract
3) Can we do without them?
4) What are the moral implications?
5) Is this possible?

Introduction

The human body is one of life’s greatest achievements. Beginning with the union of a man and a woman, the sperm travels to the egg, and a new life form is born. This new life form, which we call a fetus, eventually grows in to a human being, and is born into the “real world”. The human being grows, learning new skills such as walking, talking, manipulating objects, and many other things. The human continues to grow and meets an acceptable mate, the 2 humans get together, and a baby is born, the 2 humans then grow old and die, while the child continues the cycle. And the cycle just repeats itself over and over again. This is the basic cycle of life.

But what if we could change that? What if, after the human being is born into the “real world” he learns some skills and at an appropriate age he can, through melding with machines, become immortal? The cycle completely changes from there. He no longer has to find a suitable mate for the purpose of procreation, and we are no longer restricted by time, to learn new skills and experience new environments. That’s what I’ll be talking about in this article. Is it possible to conquer death through the melding with machines?

The Human Body

Humans are made up of many vital parts, such as, the brain, the heart, the lungs, the blood, etc… And yet with science and technology improving so quickly, they may soon become non-essential to our continued existence. But before I touch on that I’ll be talking about the purpose of some organs, and our life force. Blood.

Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in the body that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells, such as nutrients and oxygen, and transports waste products away from those same cells. Based on this definition blood seems like the very thing that we cannot do without. Even the ancients had some idea that blood was important. It held special, specific, religious meaning for some religions. The Aztecs believed that the gods had to have their share of blood, if not the sun would stop rising. Christians saw the Eucharist wine as the blood of Jesus. The Torah says, “Because the life of the animal is in it’s blood.” This shows us how important blood is to the survival of the human body.

Brain

The human brain is, without a doubt, the most complex organ that we have in our entire human body. It is the control center through which we experience the 5 senses. It is the organ that helps us to rationalize, which gives us emotion, and consciousness. It is no wonder that we were born with a thick skull and various membranes around the brain to protect it. The human brain is therefore very essential to continue life as humans.

Heart

The human heart, is the motor of this vehicle we call the human body. It provides constant circulation of our life force, blood, through out the body, even when we are sleeping. This makes it extremely vital to human life, as if you have blood, but no heart, you’d be dead. It’s like a car with fuel, but no engine. No matter how much you step on the accelerator, if you don’t have an engine, the car won’t move. The same applies to the human body. And thus for continued existence, the human body requires a heart.

Lungs

The human lungs are the organs of respiration in our body. We breathe through our nose and the air is sent to the lungs, where the oxygen in the air is diffused in to the countless blood vessels and transported around the body by the heart and our blood. The oxygen is vital for the continued survival of cells and organs in the body. Without oxygen the cells would die, and so would the organs. Lungs are therefore required so that our body can have a constant intake of air.

Digestive System

The digestive system in the human body begins with the mouth and ends with the anus. Food is our source of nourishment and sustenance. Without food we would not get the necessary nutrients needed to develop the human body. But if you have food but no digestive system then it’s equivalent to not having food at all. The digestive system helps to break down food into their base units, and also absorbs them into the blood stream so that blood can carry these vital nutrients to all parts of our body to give us strength and energy to keep on living. Therefore we need the digestive system to survive.

Can we do without them?

Every organ I’ve covered, and not covered in this brief chapter cannot work alone. It is part of a system where one supports the other. But alas all biological matter will deteriorate over time and eventually cease to function. And when one or more of these organs fail, the rest will fail as well. We need these organs to keep us alive, but at the same time, if we do not have them, or if we do not need to rely on them, we can become immortal.

Let’s talk about prosthetic limbs. Prosthetic limbs are an extension of the human body, but are not part of it. They enable the user to manipulate them as if that extension were a part of his body. And better still, the prosthetic limb is not reliant on the heart, lungs, digestive system, and even blood, as it is made up of mechanical parts. It merely relies on the brain which tells it where and how to move. This makes the prosthetic limbs not subject to the deterioration that all biological matter eventually succumbs to. This means, even after the user has passed on, the prosthetic arm will still be useable for future generations. The same applies to prosthetic legs as well.

So can we do without them? I am most certain that 10 to 20 years down the road, at least 60% of the human body can be replaced with mechanical parts that will help enhance our physical capabilities. And I’m not talking about externally only, but internally as well. Certain organs will be replaced by mechanical parts, or completely removed, as by then there will be no need for them. Imagine the benefits this will bring to people who suffer from birth defects, or accidents that require amputation. This would be a great boon to them and to the society in general.

What are the moral implications?

Of course with this advancement in technology, people will be come stronger faster and healthier, but with every new technology, there will always be someone out there using it for purposes other than what it was meant for. For example, the Chinese who discovered and invented gunpowder never intended it to be used as a means of killing. In fact the first use of gunpowder was for fireworks! A peaceful and crowd pleasing pass time. But eventually someone else came along and used it to make cannons. So what I’m trying to say here is that while these advancements in science would help people, others might use it for war. In fact the US army is looking into an exo-suit, a self powered suit that affords the user more strength. Not only that, there are some, especially those from religious groups, who might argue that it is a perversion of the human body which God created, or that we are trying to become gods ourselves. And this kind of argument doesn’t only come from the religious groups, but also from the secular groups. They claim that by replacing our body parts with mechanical parts, we no longer remain humans, but instead become robots. But from my perspective, there is nothing morally wrong with researching and, in the future, implementing such technology into humans. But for what purpose it will be used for, that is the problem that we have to address and solve, to be able to use such technology safely.

Is this possible?

This chapter is certainly divided into 2 parts. In the first part I will answer the possibility of addressing and solving the above-mentioned situation, and in the 2nd part I will talk about it is possible to meld flesh with machine and become immortal.

I do believe that all it takes is some understanding and a little give and take from both parties. Things can be resolved by simple understanding. A lot of times we get into conflicts not because we hate the person but because we don’t understand them. So through dialogue sessions and deep thought and consideration from both sides, I do believe that any moral or ethical questions and/or problems can be addressed and resolved.

As I mentioned above, I do believe that within the next 2 decades, at least 60% of humans can be replaced with machines. Look at how far we’ve come. From wooden stumps at the end of pirates’ legs, to prosthetic arms that was inanimate, to the new prosthetic arms that can be controlled by our own brain now. The transition from a prosthetic arm that was inanimate, to one that can now be controlled by our own brain, was very fast. In fact I would even call it a leap, rather than an evolution. The melding of flesh and machine can become a reality. And within the next century or so every part of the human body will be mechanical, save the brain. For it is the one organic entity that houses our consciousness, our emotion, our thoughts, our feelings and memories. These are things that computers, no matter how advanced, can replicate. But with futurists and scientists looking into something called mind uploading, we can soon store our consciousness and memories into a thumb drive, allowing us to upload it into other computers, or even another brain. This will allow us to keep on switching bodies, allowing us to be immortal.

Why am I so optimistic about this? Because in the last century or so we have seen medical science being pushed to the limits, we have seen the creation of devices that have cured once incurable diseases. We have seen people being given a new lease in life thanks to machines. I for one am ready for this kind of a future.