Current Events > True immortality, or $1 trillion dollars?

(+) Yeah! (+)

If you pick the money, you get it all, untaxed, in one lump sum. It's up to you (and/or a financial adviser) to manage it.

If you pick immortality, the following things happen:
-Your body is reverted back to its biological peak: for the sake of this, 20 years old, and will not ever age biologically. If you are younger than that, you will age normally until you turn 20.
-Your body will regenerate faster than anything can destroy it, either from external forces or from within.
-You can survive underwater or in a vacuum or in other situations where a normal human would suffocate.
-You have no real need to eat or drink. However, you can still do so, and your digestive system will still work as normal.
-You are immune to all diseases, Earth-based or otherwise.
-You are sterile; there's no need to continue your existence via offspring when you will live forever.
-It's entirely possible you could find yourself trapped somewhere and unable to escape until you are found. Depending on where and how you're trapped, this could take centuries or even millennias.
-If humanity destroys itself, you will be stuck on Earth and have to wait for the next intelligent species--if any--to evolve.
-As you will live forever, you will be around well after all the stars of the Universe itself begins to die out. If a way to escape into another Universe is not found especially before the last of the Universe's lifeforms go extinct, then you will be trapped in the dead and completely dark Universe for all of eternity.


So, which would you pick?
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Why would anyone choose immortality when you'll inevitably be stuck in eternal emptiness?

Money easily.
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Money, easily. I've always not hated, but didn't like stories where a character becomes or is immortal because the author almost never considers what being immortal actually means.
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Money ftw!
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Immortality

Gamer99z posted...

Why would anyone choose immortality when you'll inevitably be stuck in eternal emptiness?

Money easily.

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Immortality sucks, there's that cracked article that thoroughly covers why it sucks.

Trillion dollars, no contest
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immortality
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Gamer99z posted...

Why would anyone choose immortality when you'll inevitably be stuck in eternal emptiness?

It's more of a gamble. You're banking on a way to travel to another Universe to be found in the far future. Plus, if you play your cards right, you can shore up far more money than the $1 trillion presented here (but of course, you have to take into account inflation, and the fact that unless "space money" becomes a standard across the Universe, your money will become useless once human civilization as we know it comes to an end).

Also, if things turn out right, you can get to see some amazing things in the future.
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You have depressed me even thinking of that
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$1 trillion

For the immortality, what happens if you get decapitated?
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GOATSLAYER posted...

For the immortality, what happens if you get decapitated?

-Your body will regenerate faster than anything can destroy it, either from external forces or from within.

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Solar_Crimson posted...

Gamer99z posted...

Why would anyone choose immortality when you'll inevitably be stuck in eternal emptiness?

It's more of a gamble. You're banking on a way to travel to another Universe to be found in the far future. Plus, if you play your cards right, you can shore up far more money than the $1 trillion presented here (but of course, you have to take into account inflation, and the fact that unless "space money" becomes a standard across the Universe, your money will become useless once human civilization as we know it comes to an end).

Also, if things turn out right, you can get to see some amazing things in the future.

Sooner or later you would inevitably reach a point where there no more universes and no forms of existence left. Even if it takes an immeasurable amount of time that mankind can't even wrap their minds around. Eventually you will end up in a state of conscious nothingness for eternity, which would be worse than hell. Literally no amount of good things could ever he worth facing that inevitability.
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Money.

I'd take the immortality if I could willingly end my existance though.
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Immortality sounded good until that last bit... but I think I'd still go with it. By the time the universe begins to die I will have had plenty of time to prepare mentally for my new existence as a solitary mind.

Also, if my body is actually invincible I stand a good chance of escaping the Earth on my own even if humanity were to die out. If any one person had let's say 10,000,000 years to devote to science, research and development I'm thinking they could probably at the very least make it further than where we are now. Most of our time is wasted just trying to survive, with only a very small fraction of it being put toward the kind of developments that might be useful in this scenario. But with time on our side we would eventually come to understand all of the universe's secrets. Granted, there may be hard limitations that make it impossible to avoid the "bad" ending, but I would be willing to take the chance.
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Can I feel pain while immortal?
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money
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Immortality is limited pleasure for an eternity of suffering lol. I'll take the money any day.
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Solar_Crimson posted...

As you will live forever, you will be around well after all the stars of the Universe itself begins to die out. If a way to escape into another Universe is not found especially before the last of the Universe's lifeforms go extinct, then you will be trapped in the dead and completely dark Universe for all of eternity

What if there's a Big Crunch and the universe reverts to singularity
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Immortality
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Not that it will really affect my answer, but I would like to know, would my immortal self need to sleep?

This is complicated. The short, quick answer is of course immortality. You already posited almost exactly what I want except for a few things:
- the ability to control my aging or perhaps even appearance; this is good for blending into different roles in society and trying new things. Aside from that physical peak is generally more like mid-late 20s, not 20. If you could change it to this (incidentally my real age anyway, so it would be simpler), the deal would be even sweeter.
- the lack of need for sleep, as mentioned, though it could be done the same as eating and drinking

I've always felt that full shapeshifting powers would give de facto immortality because it would bestow everything you mentioned and more. You could turn yourself into an invulnerable being or heal from any injury, and changing your body internally and externally would allow effective control over aging. It would also allow you to take a form that doesn't need food, water, or oxygen, and could survive in vacuums and at extreme pressures and temperatures. Aside from this it would allow you to take many nonhuman or otherwise enhanced forms, so long as you can conceptualize it. The only possible weakness is the ability to be hurt or killed if caught by surprise by something you hadn't accounted for, but if you don't die instantly and can remain lucid you should be able to hear yourself.

Now, this isn't what you offered, but your deal is honestly arguably better, because it carries with it no risk of death and no complications aside from the usual ones when you can outlast everything.

The alternative is actually tempting, however. Why? Well, quite simply with a trillion dollars I could fund radical life extension research anyway and do so much more, and I could begin basically immediately (so long as I was able to manage and protect my funds and people didn't question where it came from).

Either scenario potentially allows for both rewards. It simply changes the order you get them in. The main advantage of taking the money is you can act on a larger scale right away. The main advantage of immortality is the lack of risk.

But ultimately I think I would have to go with immortality. Why? Like I said, a lack of risk, but aside from that the immortality package you offered is essentially magical and defies the laws of physics, while any immortality bought would never be full or without risk of eventual death. The package you offer here would be better than any I could have developed. The only long-term danger is the void, but in real life I already hope to gamble for the alternate universe/dimension possibility, so why not here?

The other issue with taking the immortality is you're mostly confined to your present socioeconomic condition for the time being, and you cannot influence world events or help those close to attain your state at any level for awhile. You would carry no risk, but the world around you would be more vulnerable (that is, at the present level of vulnerability) for the time being. This is... unfortunate, but ultimately secondary to my own desire to not die. It would just mean I would have to work towards solving those problems with the help of my newfound abilities.

dave_is_slick posted...

Money, easily. I've always not hated, but didn't like stories where a character becomes or is immortal because the author almost never considers what being immortal actually means.

I've felt the same, but for the opposite reason; most stories seem to assume that it is unpleasant. They don't fully imagine the extent of the possibilities or the solutions to the typical immortal problems (like the ones in that Cracked article mentioned above).
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MrZAP17 posted...

he solutions to the typical immortal problems (like the ones in that Cracked article mentioned above).
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

...Such as? Because constantly losing loved ones over and over and over has no solution and would drive anyone mad.
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After reading the OP I imagined being immortal and then somehow getting buried alive and my heart began racing really fast.

SpiralDrift posted...

Immortality sounded good until that last bit... but I think I'd still go with it. By the time the universe begins to die I will have had plenty of time to prepare mentally for my new existence as a solitary mind.

Also, if my body is actually invincible I stand a good chance of escaping the Earth on my own even if humanity were to die out. If any one person had let's say 10,000,000 years to devote to science, research and development I'm thinking they could probably at the very least make it further than where we are now. Most of our time is wasted just trying to survive, with only a very small fraction of it being put toward the kind of developments that might be useful in this scenario. But with time on our side we would eventually come to understand all of the universe's secrets. Granted, there may be hard limitations that make it impossible to avoid the "bad" ending, but I would be willing to take the chance.

Came to post pretty much along these lines.

I'm fucking sure eventually I'll figure out insane ass things and might even be able to travel backwards in time or even create my own universes and attain god like powers. With millions or billions of years of scientific manipulation, the possibilities are truly endless.
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AlternativeFAQS posted...

After reading the OP I imagined being immortal and then somehow getting buried alive and my heart began racing really fast.

Well you will get saved at some point

Steelers posted...

AlternativeFAQS posted...

After reading the OP I imagined being immortal and then somehow getting buried alive and my heart began racing really fast.

Well you will get saved at some point

yeah and you'd probably be in a mentally vegetative state

immortality hands down. I'll take down the globalists after they hand over their billions to me. so, money check. Then I'd proceed to fund scientists looking into galactic travel.
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AlternativeFAQS posted...

After reading the OP I imagined being immortal and then somehow getting buried alive and my heart began racing really fast.

This

That's legitimately one of my worst fears

To think of that but no eventual relief of death by suffocation is horrifying
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Just imagine not being able to move


omg

I would choose immortality just so I can take a pic of me fucking an apple pie, seal it up in a time capsule, troll around for a few centuries, and then see it as a museum exhibit about why social media was cancer back then.
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AlternativeFAQS posted...

Just imagine not being able to move


omg

Ever had sleep paralysis?
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Eww immortality
Money pls
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the universe and multiverse will die. theory not fact.

the universe is shrinking. o wait, no its expanding forever. bunch of primitive guesses.
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Steelers posted...

Immortality

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a trillion dollars is such a hilariously large amount of money
if i can deal with people trying to kill me and steal my money or something, i'd love it

dave_is_slick posted...

MrZAP17 posted...

he solutions to the typical immortal problems (like the ones in that Cracked article mentioned above).
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

...Such as? Because constantly losing loved ones over and over and over has no solution and would drive anyone mad.

That problem is effectively eliminated by ensuring the immortality of others as well. Anyone who assumes that immortality would realistically be confined to one person or a small group is being unrealistic. Most significant technological advances eventually become widespread and available to most people. With something as radical as immortality (or radical life extension), there are economic and social reasons to actually want most or all people to become immortal/stay healthy/stop aging. This also eliminates the whole secrecy issue.

The idea of a human body not evolving and becoming outdated ignores the great possibilities or technological augmentation. We already have basic prosthetic limbs and can regrow many body parts. Over time medical technology will continue to advance, making people less susceptible to age-related diseases and general ill-health. In real life this means you could stay relatively healthy and fit into old age, even indefinitely. This also ignores cybernetics, nanotechnology, genetic and other biological modifications, and other things we haven't even come up with. Ultimately we will have no reason to stop at "staying healthy" and will concurrently work on "improving or changing at will". There is no reason for you to be confined to your current limited physiology. This can extend to mental abilities.

Moreover, the idea of your mind changing with great age is only worrisome from a present-day perspective. I have no expectation of being like I am now at 500, 10,000, 1,000,000, 30 billion, and so on. I do not expect to even be a psychologically recognizable modern human after several thousands of years. I have no qualms with this. I do not mind change. I mind an end. I desire continuity, not stasis. I think this will become a much more comfortable reality for everyone experiencing this at the time. Note as well that it will be a gradual change over time.

As for time itself, we will never truly be starved for new experiences, and I am using that in the most literal sense of the word. The future possibilities awaiting us in the universe are infinite, and there will always be new wonder. Frankly even if there were a finite amount, I do not worry because I do not think my memory would be perfect or boundless. The memory will likewise always be limited, and we will forget things. I do not worry about doing something I have done before 6 billion years ago. Even now there are many things that I do not really feel ever get old, anyway. The point is here the limitations of the mind are an actual advantage here when facing the endless eternity.

As for getting trapped forever, it theoretically could happen, but it most likely will not, simply because forever is a long time and the universe is ever-changing. There will always be hope and possibility, though never certainty, of freedom. This is a key thing to remember concerning life and death even today: there are no guarantees, but there is always hope, by definition. I would not be troubled by this possibility.

As we gain new abilities and can go to new places, the vast expanse of space will only welcome us more. We will only ever increase our options. I could spend a literal eternity exploring, learning, socializing, playing, enjoying the wonders of the universe. I do not think it would ever get old, or it would ever get tiresome or boring. Why would I ever want to forego such possibilities, such joys, for the oblivion of death? Living is simply always preferable to it.
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So what I got from all that is an almost childish sense of optimism. I prefer thinking realistically.
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Oh, like I stated, I don't think it is at all guaranteed. It is all posited on the idea that immortality or radical life extension is achieved in the first place AND we do not mess up our civilization. I am deeply wary about the possibility of not getting there, personally or as a civilization. Humans are fragile, fallible, incredibly prone to error, and I'm more cognizant of this than many and take it into account. I am greatly concerned about our societal problems; I am less concerned about the technological aspect. I do think a strong possibility of achieving life extension and living onwards exists, however, and for a number of reasons.

First, on the medical front we're actually advancing at a decent and steady pace all the time. While there are setbacks, the greatest long-term obstacle is not technological but psychological. Frankly most of the population assumes death is inevitable and have convinced themselves that this is good, as a whole and for them personally, defying the realities of the horror of death and the great possibilities that they could take advantage of. Breaking through this barrier, especially for the sizable religious population, will be very hard and may not be done. This would be very unfortunate, but ultimately as long as they let those who wish it pursue it then it is acceptable, even if I find it personally unpleasant and wish they would reconsider.

I do not think we are in serious danger of any great blow to our species; as long as some cataclysm like a nuclear war or a meteor strike doesn't occur too quickly for us to react, we are basically extinction proof due to our numbers and spread. Even the devastation causes by climate change will likely only slow us down, and as long as we don't get wiped out and can keep advancing technologically, we basically cannot lose. One simply has to play to the odds and prepare as best as one can to help ensure that they aren't a casualty of the societal changes. The first major roll of the dice out of many sure to come.
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This is not a hard decision at all

M_Live posted...

Immortality sounds fucking awful

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What good is immortality when your mind eventually falls apart and you go insane losing any trace of humanity you once had?
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Immortality, I will become a God before the end of the universe. There will be so much time that I could do anything.

edit: billions of years

Blue_Inigo posted...

What good is immortality when your mind eventually falls apart and you go insane losing any trace of humanity you once had?

Why would your mind fall apart if you are at your physical peak forever?

Money

Though I'd rather take the soft immortality where you're immune to aging and disease but can still die from trauma/environment (accidents, violence, disasters etc). In which case I seem to remember reading somewhere you'd be lucky to survive to 1000 before something like that claims you

who wants to live forever, WHO DARES TO LOVE FOREVER

but seriously immortality would be hell, I'd take anything instead
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Money lol, this would be harder if you said something like extended lifespam of 600-1000 years
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Immortality would be hell.
Definitely money.
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Kind tough to choose tbh. Immortality will eventually become worse than death, it would be comparable to being in hell. Imagine being all alone, in the darkness for millions and millions of years and beyond.

Yet, i do fear death and i'm not sure if ever existing is better than disappearing at some point.
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