Ray Kursweil, the very successful predictor of technological innovations says this will happen by 2045. I think, as an intuitive that it could come as quickly as 2020 to 2025.
Today I was talking to a dental receptionist about this in a dentist's office and then a lady patient came in and said, "Oh. Do you mean Google in your head?" and I said, "Something like that."
However, then the receptionist was talking about all the many problems already with people selling their organs (especially kidneys) or people being drugged and having kidneys or (all their organs stolen) and dying especially in third world nations.
So, if we are just talking about replaceable parts stolen from other humans the outlook might be pretty grim indeed for many if not most of mankind during this whole process of technological immortality through medical intervention.
Another thing I was thinking about is that until whole families have enough money to stay alive together for hundreds of years it might be pretty lonely for people who want to be immortal if all their family and friends are dead before them. At age 63 I'm already experiencing the present day fact that I only have one person that I still visit very much that knew me when I was a child up until about 20. Many people have known me from ages 20 or 30 but even those are passing on one by one because I'm 63 now.
So, people wanting to live forever might want to think of the consequences of trying to live that long. Some days I think whether even being alive for 63 years is still worth it especially if I wake up in a lot of body pain. However, on the other hand I"m one of the lucky ones that has a hot tub (Spa) in my back yard next to my redwood deck that will help take the pain of age away and I also have a physical trainer that lately is doing yoga with me designed for someone my age who has led a very physically active life always. So every yoga session takes away about 50% to 75% of the pain in my body from the stretching within Yoga.
It's really surprising how helpful it is to feel 75% less pain in one's body. You feel young again! And without any pain killers!
Note: One of the reasons that I think potential human immortality by medical technology will arrive sooner is that there are so many rich people that don't want to die. Their donations to various technology research facilities and individuals (including their relatives and friends pursuing this type of research will, I believe, result in a much quicker manifestation of actual human immortality than Kurszweil predicts. I believe the desire of many to continue living that are wealthy will jump start actual human immortality into existence in a quantum effect.
We have seen this kind of effect first in the sheer computing power of microchips increasing exponentially at lower and lower costs over the years. Now, we are seeing the same effect with solar cells worldwide. Human immortality will be the next driver of this technological effect I believe starting with the Time Magazine and Time.com cover of 2045.
Here are links to these articles and pictures if you wish:
2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal
We're fast approaching the moment when humans and machines merge. Welcome to the Singularity movement
4711 words TIME Cover: 2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal
A printable picture of the cover of the Feb 21, 2011 issue of TIME. Link to the table of contents or browse issues by date.
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