Blog #10 - The Ethics of "Man Immortal" - Vickie GG

 In Chapter 8: Part 3, Mark (and we as readers) finally learn the main, true goal of the N.I.C.E. - to make (some) men immortal, to dominate the natural course of life using (superior) science. 

(Straik): "The Head has sent for you. Do you understand--the Head? You will look upon one who was killed and is still alive. The resurrection of Jesus in the Bible was a symbol: tonight you shall see what it symbolised. This is real Man at last, and it claims all our allegiance"

"What the devil are you talking about? said Mark. The tension of his nerves distorted his voice into a hoarse blustering cry. 

"My friend is quite right," said Filostrato. "Our Head is the first of the New Men--the first that lives beyond animal life. As far as Nature is concerned he is already dead." (174) 

I think we can all agree that no one would want to continue to "live" in the way the Head does, since that is a creepy, horror-film, disgusting thing - not sure you can even call that a "life." But if it were possible to make humans immortal, would it be a good idea? Would it be ethical? What would religion have to say about it? 

I mostly expected to hear some religious arguments against immortality (on this Earth / plane), which makes sense, since then there could be no afterlife, which most religions intend. But I read an interesting article / summary online where a philosopher named Bernard Williams stated that immortality would never be good for humans because of "categorical desires" that would either be unattainable (and thus frustrating / demoralizing to the immortal being) or exhaustible (i.e. you do everything you wanted to do and then feel despondent, like life has no meaning). I feel like the last argument is pretty persuasive. 

It also reminds me of a great Bowie song, The Supermen. Some relevant lyrics: 

And gloomy browed with superfearTheir endless tragic livesCould heave nor sighIn solemn, perverse serenityWondrous beings chained to life

Where all were minds in uni-thoughtPower weird by mystics taughtNo pain, no joy, no power too greatColossal strength to grasp a fateWhere sad-eyed mermen tossed in slumbersNightmare dreams no mortal mind could holdA man would tear his brother's fleshA chance to dieTo turn to mold


So, I guess I'm in the camp against immortality, for reason that people would probably eventually go mad. Unless, of course, we're talking robot bodies. Then I'm probably on board. :) 










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog #13 Dr. Weston’s Philosophy of Life

In Lewis’ Out of A Silent Planet a certain physicist, Dr. Weston kidnaps Ransom and takes him aboard his spaceship headed towards Malacandra. Once Ransom awakes from his slumber and realizes that he is in a spaceship he begins to question the estranged physicist. With little resistance Weston begins to explain his philosophy of life. Ransom responded, “ you hold all the cards, and I must make the best of it. I consider your philosophy of life to be raving lunacy. I suppose all that stuff about infinity and eternity means that you think you are justifiable in doing anything–absolutely anything–here and now, on the off chance that some creatures or other descended from man as we know him may crawl about a few centuries longer in some part of the universe.” Weston responded, “ Yes–anything whatsoever”. Weston resembles one of the great evils of mankind. That being the telos of evolution or in other words survival of the fittest. That is the basic idea the it is a means to an end and not ...
Read more

Experience vs encounter and its implications

 To experience something is notably different from encountering something. I may experience a bear at a zoo, or dangerously encounter one in a forest. One implies perceiving, and the other implies communion (which could be good or bad). Our discussion of these concepts in class got me thinking, "Does our the interconnectedness of the internet create a culture of experience but not encounter?" I know that questions includes a lot, so let me unpack it. The internet fundamentally changes the way humans being relate to one another. I myself, having being basically raised on the internet have now gotten to the age where I realize my experience of childhood, was very different from the rest of the history of the world. I believe has created a reality in which anyone can experience almost anything, although mediated. I can watch as many cute dog videos as I want, but those dogs in the video will never watch me. I think because of this, a renewed appreciation for the embodied, the sa...
Read more

3/15/2023- The Perfect Sacrifice: Questions about Psyche and Ungit

  I was struck by the scene in which the priest of Ungit describes the reason that Psyche must be sacrificed to Ungit in order to avert the various calamities which befell the nation of Glome. He waxes poetic about the nature of the gods, and that they demand nothing less than the best in order to appease their wrath. He states “That is not enough, King. And you know it. We must find the Accursed. And she (or he) must die by the rite of the Great Offering. What is a thief more than a bull or a man? This is not to be a common sacrifice. We must make the Great Offering.” This sounds a great deal like Christ’s sacrifice within Christian theology. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice- the “Great Offering” made to cleanse the sins of the world. However, the difference between the two lies in the satisfaction of the wrath of the gods. For Psyche’s tale, her supposed sacrifice is not enough to quell the wrath of the gods, however, the divine nature of Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient to overcome ...
Read more