Forever and immortality has held great thoughts for genius and philosophers. However, scientists have since long been in the quest for the perpetual motion machine, and similarly it appears to be an impossible vision. We are increasingly turning towards optimism so maybe we will soon create the perpetual motion machine and make living forever possible.
There are several criteria that must be fulfilled for satisfying the quest of living forever, here are some:
1. To Be Immortal We Must Be Living
It is fundamental to define life. We can consider life for our purpose as something that assures its own structure at the cost of the external environment. In somehow it has a relation between order and randomness/chaos. Or we could simply call it entropy.
2. Living Creature Consumes Non-living Substances
For instance, human consumes gases and minerals to generate the necessary energy required to sustain their life. Human can equally construct machines and transform mineral into food substances.
3. Eating forever is a Prerequisite for Living Forever.
Living things do necessary consume energy. For instance plants consume (food) through a process known as photosynthesis. Human consume food such as cereals, meat, eggs and vegetables to generate enough energy for their body.
Living creature does consume food substances as long as they live. They need energy to repair DNA damage and changes to their body structure. So to live forever one need to consume food forever to sustain life.
4. Forever in a finite or Infinite Universe
Universe is currently defined as being unexploited and rather infinite. So for humans to live forever, they would have to spread throughout the universe to sustain life and growth of its species. However, if the universe is finite then forever might be hard to conquer, as resources would be depleted at a particular period of human space history.
Universe does according to science expand at a constant rate. However, if the human population would grow and crowd the cosmic biosphere than the problem of resources would indeed surface. The only way human would be able to live forever would be to expand at the same pace as cosmos.
Potentiality of Forever
The idea of proliferating into space as we live forever is a far-reaching possibility. However, we are currently restrained by limitation of our biosphere. If resources prevail forever only then life can be sustained forever.
The human race is now gifted with knowledge at an advanced scientific state. It might not be long until future generations reach the stars. It is only knowledge that will help us to find the gateway to the stars, but in the meantime we have to nurture the potential of living forever.
Source: Science
Thu, Sep 2, 2010
Immortality, Longevity