From: Technotranscendence (neptune@mars.superlink.net)
Date: Wed Mar 08 2000 - 00:38:40 MST
OnTuesday, March 07, 2000 6:52 AM Damien Broderick
d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au wrote:
> http://www.ozemail.com.au/~claw/index.html
>
> contains the above-titled essay, by medical practitioner and sf writer
> Chris Lawson. Find it under essays.
>
> The argument is that `Anti-ageing technology may present us with the awful
> scenario of extended lifespan but limited improvement in quality of life.
> Living forever -- or at least for long periods of time -- with dementia is
> known as "The Tithonus Option." I will argue, however, that the Tithonus
> Option is unlikely to eventuate.'
>
> The paper was presented as part of the academic track at the September
1999
> SF Worldcon in Melbourne, Australia.
I have yet to read the URL, but prima facie it sounds silly. I like it when
people take one thing and extrapolate, but leave everything else the same.
It sounds like bad [i.e., "Star Trek"] science fiction.
But seriously, if history is any guide, as people live longer, they _want_
quality to increase. Surely, they have not yet achieved the kind of quality
increase I'd like to see, but one can live better, longer now than ever
before.
'night!
Daniel Ust
http://mars.superlink.net/neptune/
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