Life Off Earth - Futuristic Philosophy

Looking forward into the future...

And further into the future...

One of the arguments against cryo-preservation and life extension insists that humanity will run out of space. Earth is already a cramped cosmic island, so where are we all going to fit?

Firstly, not everyone will choose an immortal life. How many times have you heard people say they'll be glad when life is over? To an immortalist, this is the statement of someone with suicidal tendencies but many think this way, imagining that death will always be inevitable and unconquerable despite the continuing progress of sciences which - given proper investment and further research - will overcome present limitations.

Secondly, look up. It's a big universe up there... Big as in infinite. If the "universe" is expanding, logic dictates that it has to have something into which it can expand. If it had a boundary, an edge of some kind, there would have to be something beyond to define that boundary - in other words, more universe.

Thirdly, look in. The potential of the mind is immense. What if it - the universe - is all mind? What if the world you see when your brain interprets light beams caught on your retinas is really a creation of your mind? What if the whole of Planet Earth is, in effect, a giant holograph kept in place by mutual unconscious agreement? What if other collectives of mutual conscious agreement could create for themselves another kind of holograph - a parallel dimension, in other words? It's an idea to play around with, no?

(With thanks to our favourite captain, who found the videos.)

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