Quote: (06-08-2014 06:12 PM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:
thedude, there is absolutely no reason to believe this -- none whatsoever. There has never been a single truly important technological breakthrough -- not one -- that has not eventually benefited all of mankind.
This is a bit of a stretch. Rulers of the past might not have had running hot water or air travel, but they had ornate palaces, slept on extinct bird feathers, ate wild animals unadulterated with chemicals, and had harems of 500 women.
But let's not dwell on that. I understand your point. While modern peasants might not have it so great (I'm thinking homeless people here), the average man does indeed have it pretty goddamn sweet.
However, my point still stands. The best medical treatment on earth is still reserved for the global elite. Knowing the control schemes that are in place, I don't see this technology being available to the common man, let alone peasants, at any point unless the ruling class decides it's in their best interests.
The only advantage I can see (from the corporate overlord perspective )with allowing average citizens access to this technology is some sort of lifetime commitment to the corporate state. Corporations would have board meetings in discussing consumer habits; is it easier to maintain eternal customer loyalty or create new customers? Would a human with a 1000 or 10000 year lifespan buy into the corporate state or not? Our current ruling class depends on consumers that buy into the "system" (birth, education, work, marriage, children, house, cars, retirement, healthcare, death)
If it turned out that millions of "eternals" were opting out of the system and spending their days on a beach in Thailand, basically opting out of the "American Dream", then you would see a pretty fierce and ugly resistance from capitalist nations.
The notion of eternal life does bring up some interesting questions. It would certainly bring spirituality and organized religion under greater scrutiny. If there was a God, how and why would he allow humanity to defy him in this way? If you lived eternally, what's the end game? Earthly pleasures would eventually cease to satisfy. You would either deviate and start murdering people for a new thrill, or go the opposite direction and spend your days meditating on a mountaintop.
Or an even scarier scenario, what if you were thrown in prison? Falsely accused? Eternity in jail? What if you were horribly maimed in a car accident and had zero feeling from the waist down? Or lost an arm?
I know the prospect of eternal darkness is terrifying, and only but the most devout religious adherents would willingly choose death, but having a portion of the population that lives eternally is not a future I would look forward to.