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Altered Carbon is one of the best sci-fi series of books I have ever read, and now the story has been made into a Netflix series. After watching the first couple, I'm pleased that, by and large, they've stayed true to the books.
The series throws up some interesting points of debate. Within the altered carbon universe, every human being on earth is fitted with a stack at the age of one.
Your stack records every aspect of your life, all your personality traits and memories. If your body and/or brain suffer enough damage to die, no matter, your stack has all the info you need, and you can be resleeved into a new body.
This state of affairs makes a mockery out of mortality, as human beings can (as long as they have the money and the willing), live forever.
Endless Possibility
Perhaps first, we should ponder as to whether it will ever be possible to live forever. After all, what's the point of discussing ethical dilemmas that we'll never have to face?
As humans, we have the unerring knack of making the impossible possible, so much so, that it is very difficult for us to imagine a time when current technology wasn't possible.
Take for instance flight, almost as soon as we became aware of ourselves, human beings have been obsessed with flight. Flying myths have endured through countless fables and religious texts.
However for most of human history flight was impossible, in fact the mere notion ridiculous. Then one day in 1919 the Wright brothers shattered impossible, and less than a hundred years later, you can buy a remote control, mini flying machine to fly around your house!
No Room For A God
One of the interesting things that Richard K. Morgan, author of Altered Carbon, explored, was whether religion would die out in the face of our immortality.
After all, it is perhaps the recognising of our own finite mortality that religion has flourished so. Without a fear of death, many might feel that there was no need for a god, real or imagined.
However we see a very specific religion blossoming in the Altered Carbon world. A religious sect believe that being spun up (revived after death) is somehow insulting god, and therefore they decree that once you die, you should not be revived, or you go to hell (presumably when you finally die).
I wonder though, what would really happen? My guess is that religion would slowly die out, seeing as most religions manipulate our fears about what happens to you 'after' you die (which by the way is nothing). So without a fear of death, perhaps it is organised religion that would die?
Education And Other Hidden Benefits
Of course when stories like Altered Carbon tackle issues like these. They are doing so through a dystopian lens, simply because it is more fun and entertaining to do so.
However art does not always reflect life, and there are often factors that come into play that Hollywood et. al. never properly deal with.
For instance, if I know that I'm going to live for at least 500 years or maybe even more, then spending 50 of those years in education wouldn't be a bad thing.
You quite literally would have all the time in the world to do exactly as you pleased.
Mortality And Motivation Earnest Bedfellows
Often we marvel at how great historical figures got their stuff together at very young ages. But of course, they weren't considered young back then, it is only now that we live twice as long as we did in Mozart's time, that it seems young.
However when you are living in a paradigm whereby you are considered in the winter of your life at 45, then you best be getting a move on if you want to make your mark on the world.
Think though, what it would be like if humans averaged a thousand years, or simply didn't die if they didn't want to. What would that do for our motivation as a society?
Is It Ethical?
Will it be wise to move into a state of immortality when we can't take care of all the people who are around today?
Who knows? Maybe by that time we would have advanced as a society and there is less unnecessary hunger and suffering.
One thing I do know, is I want to be immortal; why the hell not? As much as I'm curious about the ancient past, and have often played the; 'which era would you visit if you had a time machine?' game. However I'm much more curious as to what (if anything) we'll be up to in a thousand years, or even just one hundred.
Basically I want to be around to see it all, and I'm lucky enough (and hopefully young enough), to have been born into a time whereby I may not die, ever, unless I want to; and that suits me just fine.
DO YOU WANT TO BE IMMORTAL OR DOES THAT 'FREAK YOU OUT'? DO YOU THINK IT IS ETHICAL, RIGHT OR NATURAL; SHOULD WE JUST EMBRACE OUR COMING DIGITAL IMMORTALITY, OR SHOULD WE BE AFRAID?
AS EVER, LET ME KNOW BELOW!