Semi-Immortality
Semi-Immortality: the indefinite extension of human life-span
Someday human beings will be able to extend indefinitely their life-span, reaching what we call “semi-immortality”. A growing number of scientists, researchers, writers firmly holds that immortality is a real possibility: the uncertainties, if any, concern just how and when this will be the case. "Semi-immortality. The indefinite extension of life-span" carefully describes iLabs perspectives for the future of science, philosophy and tecnhology
We expect that four sciences will have a key role in the near future: genetics (that is, alphabet, syntax and meaning of our “Instruction Manual”, DNA), nanoscience (monitoring of our cells’ health and fixing the bugs), artificial intelligence (understanding how our mind works and how to build new ones), psyconeuorophysiology (telling the true story about mind-body interactions). First-hand experience convinced us that only an interdisciplinary approach is likely to bring the expected results. S-I outlines an original survey of the present and future role of these subjcets, illustrating the state of the art and the expectations for further progresses. Since the birth of all four fields of enquiry can be traced back to the Fifties, an exponential trend could provide us with the technological tools to become semi-immortal by the end of the century.
In many other excellent books about this topic it is often forgotten that science is just a part of any society prepared to reach the Singularity and live potentially forever. S-I holds that it will be impossible (or at least, inefficient) to complete the task without suitable philosophical perspectives on ethics, esthetics and social structure. The second part of the book is entirely devoted to a thoroughly argued philosophy of semi-immortality, reaching the somehow surprising conclusion that living the Singularity implies following some key-values: Truth, Love and Fun.
Our long standing commitment to research and innovation is the main rationale for the third, technological, part of the book. Five different projects are presented; these projects are a vivid expression of our philosophy and exemplify our intimate need to realize something concrete for the Singularity.
Semi-Immortality is our organic and serious attempt to picture a possible scenario for the future of mankind at every level of detail (science, society, technology, everyday life): through a careful examination of the challenges we will be compelled to meet, the book draws non obvious – or, at the very least, non superficial – paths to the (so much) Promised (but never attained) Land of Semi-Immortality. From our point of view, the aim of this book is, simply, to find mates for our journey.