Have you ever thought about being immortal? Having endless life in a universe that offers endless information sounds thrilling. Even if it sounds like a magical trait that can only be achieved in stories, it might be the technology of a different era. As Arthur C. Clarke said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” And just like with any sufficiently advanced technology, the idea of immortality also comes with ethical concerns such as environmental impact, new searches for the meaning of life, and moral hazard.

 

If immortality can be achieved, it will create an impact on the environment. Since immortal people will live forever, they will need more resources and more energy, and this could harm the planet. In addition, since people will live forever, they might disregard current problems of the world such as global warming, decrease in water sources, and so on. Furthermore, humans being immortal might break the order of nature which includes birth, aging, and death. The disruption in this circle might cause undeterminable consequences. 

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As Bob Ross said, “Gotta have opposites, light and dark and dark and light, in painting. It’s like in life. Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come.” Life has meaning since there is an end to it. Without death, people will start questioning the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. People might find new meanings in this infinite life but there is a possibility that people might lose the meaning of life and feel ennui. 

 

Last but not least, immortality can be abused in such ways that can cause a moral hazard. It can be used as a form of punishment, where criminals are kept alive indefinitely for eternal suffering. Right now, humankind questions whether taking one’s life as a form of punishment is ethical, taking their death as a form of punishment might be the ethical dilemma of the following eras.  In another case, this new invention might be kept as a secret from society, and in a dystopic scenario, a small group of immortal people could hold all the power and resources while the rest of humanity struggles to live. Another risk is that immortality has the potential to increase high-risk behaviors of persons. Those who know that they cannot die may be more likely to engage in reckless and wicked behaviors which can damage both themselves and others.

 

Overall, immortality comes with many ethical implications. From my point of view, we live this life once and that’s what makes it so valuable. Everyone must choose what they want from life, what is their stance on this type of ethical and philosophical questions, who and what they love for such a small lifespan, and they must try to both protect and improve these until passing them to the next generation. As Oscar Wilde said, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” Without trying to question these values in such little time given to us, we will exist, that is all.