Immortality by 2035?

CNBC ^ | June 14, 2013 | Bob Pisani

[2ndDivisionVet]

How's this for a weekend conference: Some of the smartest people in the world are gathering in New York to try to figure out how to build lifelike copies of humans ... to be eventually uploaded with the contents of a real human brain.

It's the brainchild of a Russian multimillionaire, Dmitry Itskov. ... And he says he's perfectly serious, and that it could be accomplished by 2035.

Crazy? The New York Times gave Itskov a front-page profile on its Sunday Business page a week and a half ago.

Imagine this ... a digital copy of your brain in a different life form that could live for hundreds of years and be replaced.

There are several stages to his proposal, including an early stage (Avatar A) where lifelike avatars (androids) are created, but without an actual brain in them. Instead you would be able to mentally "occupy" the avatar and would have the same sensations....

[dirtboy]

including an early stage (Avatar A) where lifelike avatars (androids) are created, but without an actual brain in them>

Great, just what we need, more Democrats.

[ejonesie22]

“Avatar A” already exists, they are called liberals, they are controlled by the press.

[jsanders2001]

Why would anyone want to live “forever” during these times? Seriously. I sure don’t.

[ronnie raygun]

Now the rats will live for ever. Progressivism will live forever

[Pollster1]

What would a lifelike copy of a person look like - with no brain and no soul?

[Bobalu]

At first glance I thought the title said “Immorality by 2035?”

I thought, dood, we are there NOW! ... lol

[jsanders2001]

Dimitry is also planning to produce humans with superpowers that can jump several stories with a simple bound, jump off tall buildings and land on bent knee without a scratch, and fight “Matrix” style with the ability to dodge bullets, never bleed or bruise, and punch through bricks...sheesh this is what happens when stupid fantasy ridden liberals who are always on their computers or cellphones never get out and experience the real world. They can no longer tell the difference between reality and fantasy...

[schm0e]

that rumbling you hear is God chuckling.

[rbg81]

I’m guessing that Bill and Hillary will be the first test subjects. They can’t be allowed to DIE. [/s]

[mitch5501]

“PEOPLE OF SHELDONOPOLIS!!!....”

[cripplecreek]

Sounds like it has potential for space travel.

[Bobalu]

[pieceofthepuzzle]

This concept has been a recurrent science fiction theme for quite awhile (e.g. see Caprica, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica). I have no doubt that cloning will advance to the point at which we will be able to duplicate human beings, but there are so many other issues here, the enormous moral and spiritual issues aside.

We don't have much of an idea how information is stored in the brain, and the complexity of this will make it extremely difficult to come up with a method of ‘downloading’ who you are.

Beyond that, a duplicate you is not you. It is a copy of your organic structure, but would also be a new human being, independent of you, and would start life just like any other baby. Supposing we ever figured out how information is stored in the brain and could ‘download’ all of the information that constitutes your memories and experiences. At what point would that information be ‘uploaded’ into your copy? What about the memories and experiences your copy had until that point? Do you ‘wipe’ those? Do they have a say?

At this point in my life I'm convinced that the only immortality worth striving for in the secular world is the immortality of having passed on love and good deeds to your family and to others while you were walking around as a mortal. Spiritual immortality is a separate issue, but that's not what we're talking about here.

[ClearCase_guy]

God's gonna cut you down.

[GenXteacher]

Seems like I've read something like this elsewhere: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnim_Zola Arnim Zola was a biochemist during World War II who became one of the first human genetic engineers in history after finding papers and equipment used by the offshoot race of humanity, the Deviants. He found a ready home among the Nazi party, who saw his actions as the ability to ensure the existence of a master race. One of his first accomplishments was the creation of a brain pattern imprinting device, which would allow someone's mental essence to be projected into a cloned brain. Zola presented such a gift to Adolf Hitler, creating the Hate-Monger.[1]

[KC_Lion]

I will call it a Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System (GLaDOS)

[Viennacon]

Another reason to believe Judgement Day will be upon us before 2050, as I predict. Many signs have been fulfilled.

[tbw2]

It’s fascinating that the liberals who deny the existence of God and souls are constructing a technological immortality and “heaven” that will exist before they die.

[opentalk]

Wonder is part of the motive behind the request to fund Obama’s $100 million initiative to map the brain.