[habitue]

> death doesn’t have any downsides

The fact that most people try to avoid death by any means possible is a good indication it has downsides.

Specifically, the fact that you can no longer go on living is a big downside of death in my mind.

[paulcole]

People try to avoid dying every day.

They put on their seatbelts, make sure their food isn’t covered in poop, check their boots for scorpions, take their insulin, etc.

They can’t avoid death. Nobody in the history of humanity has successfully avoided death.

But once death happens nothing matters to them any more. They literally no longer care about the life they’re not going on living.

Dying might be scary or painful but death isn’t.

[lukev]

Technically untrue, approximately 7.31 percent of all humans who have ever lived are currently alive (i.e. have avoided death (so far)).

Also your argument is just disingenuous. Nonexistence may not be painful, but the concept of nonexistence can be quite disturbing for the currently existing (even apart from the experience of dying.)

[paulcole]

Do you think any of those 7.31 percent of all humans will avoid death?

And no, it’s not disingenuous. If someone offered you the choice of immortality (never ever dying under any circumstances) or continuing with natural human existence (being guaranteed to die at some point), which would you take?

[pzo]

I think kids born recently have higher chance to avoid death - in next 70 years a lot of can change. And even if in that time frame we won't be able to make people immortal maybe we can extend lifespan to 150 years with still healthy body? Then they would buy themself extra 80 years for another health innovations in race to immortality.

And immortality is not like you cannot die - it's just you wouldnt die becasue od aging. You could also kill yourself if you get bored after living 200 years. Today most people don't commit suicide because they got bored. Most people don't give up after having cancer. Average lifespan is 80 years and people know it and kind of accept it but would you be happy to have lifespan as dog or cat less than 20 years?

I think many people would want to have a choice to live 200+ years and in good health.

[paulcole]

I mean yeah I guess when you make up a new definition for immortality anything’s possible.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/immortality

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immortality

Don’t see one that says, “Unending life unless you want to kill yourself after 200 years.”

> Average lifespan is 80 years and people know it and kind of accept it but would you be happy to have lifespan as dog or cat less than 20 years?

If the average lifespan was 20 years then it wouldn’t bother me any more than a lifespan of 80 years bothers me today. Which it is to say that it doesn’t bother me at all.

[pzo]

Not sure if some one definition picked without context is good example. Immortal doesn't have to mean eternal life.

In green mythology we have few examples of supposedly immortal gods that died.

Elves in Tolkien were immortal but could die.

On the other hand in Christianity Jesus was a mortal God that died and go ressurected and is now believed to be immortal. Buddhist believe in reincarnation.

The universe is supposed to die eventually at one point. In this way even if AGI could be immortal or keep resurrecting itself it would eventually die when universe dies.