| Thought experiment - one day aliens come to earth. It turns out they have incredibly long lifespans (practically immortal by our standards). They also have very very few children. This kind of setup has been imagined in plenty of SF novels. This kind of scenario seems to contradict your post. Here are options that I see, which do you think is correct (or am I missing something): 1. This kind of scenario, while fun to imagine, is actually impossible. They can't actually be happy without children or with such long lives. 2. This kind of scenario is certainly possible for aliens, but impossible for humans specifically. 3. You would actually recommend to the aliens to die after 100 years instead, as that would make their lives more meaningful. 4. Something else...? Also, to answer one specific point you raise: > People imagine that life extension would mean that people would have time to see the world, to read every book, etc. But that’s not what makes most people happy. I mean, sure, I imagine what would make me happy if I lived forever. But I'm perfectly happy if most people did more of what made them happy, and I'm perfectly aware that doesn't mean most people would read Shakespeare. Who cares? Let them read / watch / do whatever they want, just like they do in life right now. Most of what I enjoy wouldn't make most people happy, and it's not reading Shakespeare either. |