Eternal Life.. Rulings of Procreation: Philosophy Forums

Eternal Life.. Rulings of Procreation

Cadrache
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Posted 09/17/08 - 10:29 PM: Subject: Eternal Life.. Rulings of Procreation	#1
Well anyways, this seemed the most logical placement for this one. Eternal Life. If one cannot live eternally within your own body, then the next best thing to 'living on' after the normal 0-130ish odd earth years of living; is to procreate. Cut in half the genetic makeup of what you are physically and mix it up with another individual who is definitely different then you are. The child is born. You now may live for another 0-130 years from this particular act; if performed properly. The argument generally seems to state implicitly that physical representation of the self is the most important aspect of life. Doesn't matter how you live. No true morals, or even ethics; if you were so inclined. But is genetic material who and what an individual is? What happens to experience? Personality? Knowledge? Well wisdom is likely never there in this day and age. Mayhaps the exchange of genetic material is merely the easiest form of transference of the individual in part; in the hopes of achieving eternal life. It could be the dude that invented fire is likely the oldest individual alive at this point; even if his species died out years ago.

swstephe
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Posted 09/18/08 - 06:49 AM:	#2
It's more a question of identity. We identify the son as being a different person than the father. An alien observer might be able to consider the son to be a modified instance of the father. We base our system of identity on the ability to form independent intentions. Even a clone with an exact copy of your mind wouldn't extend your life eternally in the current model since the clone would be assumed to be a separate individual as soon as it was disconnected from its source. Genetic material isn't enough, otherwise identical twins would share an identity. They could have independent and separate intentions. We are more different from our younger self than an identical twin, but we allow for sharing an identity across time. If a clone with a copy of our minds were created secretly, nobody would question the continuation of identity. I think there would be a need for a shift in the way people identify each other and themselves before we can permit any virtual immortality. That may happen naturally if technology gives us enough opportunities to extend what it means to be us. What if you replaced everything in your body with artificial parts, even the brain? For now, it is a subject for science fiction and difficult for any serious discussion in current western thought.
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