In Universe, we assume that everything has a cycle. Universe in expanding and accelerating but will shrink after some millions of years. Sun will eventually be out of its fusion fuel. Planets will die out because of the probability of coming in contact with vast meteors, feeding black hole or Sun or any other reason. And living being will die out of accident or aging.
It seems nature has constantly decreased the time period of its creation subsequently from Physics to Chemistry to Biology creation.
God or Nature created exclusive Death in living beings because living being can experience sensation which can be both pleasure and pain. Nature has designed the system for the worst case i.e an injured doesn’t have to bear pain forever. That is why aging is also created so that everyone dies not only the injured one after some point of time. Death is just nature’s way of ensuring justice prevails and sufferers have not to suffer eternally.
But we humans have a better way of ensuring justice with proper institutions. So one of the most important tasks of humanity is to escape from the cycle of life and death. Death is just a pointless activity in today’s time.
Yet very few investments are flowing in it.
There a 2 ways to overcome death — -
First, by overcoming the phenomena of Ageing of Cell. Google’ Calico and a couple of more companies some funded by Peter Theil and Jeff Bezos are working on it.
If cells don’t age. Organs work as excepted increasing the lifespan. And if there is no or less wear and tear in the cell. There is no reason a human body will die or lose its consciousness.
Second, by preserving memory. Let’s understand it better.
What is consciousness?
It is just some experience based upon one’s memory where we feel that we exist. But we don’t know how to reproduce it in the lab because we have very few understanding of consciousness.
But the minimum conception of consciousness is that it is created when a lot of sensitive cells join in a complex fashion.
So can robotic AI composed of metals be conscious?
Let’s understand this- Sensitivity in the cell is created by complex chemical molecules and Consciousness in human being and animals is created by a complex mixture of sensitive cells.
So it is not possible to created consciousness with robotic AI as there is 2 level jump from chemistry to consciousness. Obviously, this cannot be said with certainty.
And if you cannot create consciousness, you cannot replicate the human experience even if you have a way of storing memory.
Terasem Movement works towards the preservation of memory. Although the method is using AI on the privately available information of the person.
In future, after we develop a series of nano-particles microscope giving the reflection and storage of each and every memory creation activity in the brain, either we will be able to reproduce memory or whether it is not scientifically, technically or economically feasible. Hope so Elon Musk’s Neuralink might work on this in future. At present, it is in the nascent stage of developing brain-machine interfaces.
But what about Synthetic Biological AI?
Yes, it will be able to produce consciousness as there is no difference between human’s and synthetic human’s creation.
But even if we conquer death, doesn’t that means a constant birth rate and no death rate. How will Earth as a planet handle this?
That is why we will need simultaneous investment in tech making a planet habitable changing the Geology and biology of planets starting from Mars. That requires a lot of innovation.
But what can drive humanity more than the fact that they can escape death?
NOTE- There is an ethical dilemma that we need to consider but I haven’t touched upon it in this article.
