Comments on: Had I World Enough, and Time http://www.popbioethics.com/2010/02/world-and-tim/ Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:17:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Kyle Munkittrick http://www.popbioethics.com/2010/02/world-and-tim/comment-page-1/#comment-459 Kyle Munkittrick Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:04:00 +0000 http://www.poptranshumanism.com/?p=1825#comment-459 It's a legit question, dude. The whole time I was writing I kept thinking "this sounds rather idyllic, oh well." But I think it's hard to predict what the "norm" would be in a world where youth didn't last a decade and a half. I could try to come up with theories as to how living longer would alter people's life style choices, but I just don't have the data or knowledge to make those guesses. But the essay wasn't what would other people do with their time and money. I was writing about how I would live, what I would do, if I knew I could expect to be healthy and youthful for a couple of centuries. My life now is hardly ideal, but it's pretty good, and I feel like it's fairly normal. Lots and lots of normal people live in big cities in small apartments with roommates, go to grad school studying what they love, driving themselves into debt, and worry they're frittering their youth away inside a library. I've gotten to do very small, contracted versions of what I described in the post in my current life. Instead of taking a gap year between undergrad and grad, I'd probably take a decade. Instead of waiting till I'm 30ish to have a family, I'd probably wait till I'm 100. All I did was take how I'm living my current life and expand it. I don't claim to have all the answers here, but I was merely rebutting the point that "people who lived a long time would get bored and see no purpose in life." I just don't think that's true. It’s a legit question, dude. The whole time I was writing I kept thinking “this sounds rather idyllic, oh well.” But I think it’s hard to predict what the “norm” would be in a world where youth didn’t last a decade and a half. I could try to come up with theories as to how living longer would alter people’s life style choices, but I just don’t have the data or knowledge to make those guesses.

But the essay wasn’t what would other people do with their time and money. I was writing about how I would live, what I would do, if I knew I could expect to be healthy and youthful for a couple of centuries. My life now is hardly ideal, but it’s pretty good, and I feel like it’s fairly normal. Lots and lots of normal people live in big cities in small apartments with roommates, go to grad school studying what they love, driving themselves into debt, and worry they’re frittering their youth away inside a library. I’ve gotten to do very small, contracted versions of what I described in the post in my current life. Instead of taking a gap year between undergrad and grad, I’d probably take a decade. Instead of waiting till I’m 30ish to have a family, I’d probably wait till I’m 100. All I did was take how I’m living my current life and expand it.

I don’t claim to have all the answers here, but I was merely rebutting the point that “people who lived a long time would get bored and see no purpose in life.” I just don’t think that’s true.

]]> By: Tyler http://www.popbioethics.com/2010/02/world-and-tim/comment-page-1/#comment-458 Tyler Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:01:25 +0000 http://www.poptranshumanism.com/?p=1825#comment-458 Kyle, While this comment may bring out a scoff from my libertarian friends, does this pastoral, picturesque biography lend itself to those with means than those without? Certainly all parents wish they could not work during their child's formative years, let alone until commencement, but is that really plausible? Wouldn't more time eventually lead to only more debt for some people? I'm not hoping to start a scuffle, but are you presenting the ideal rather than what a norm? Kyle,

While this comment may bring out a scoff from my libertarian friends, does this pastoral, picturesque biography lend itself to those with means than those without? Certainly all parents wish they could not work during their child’s formative years, let alone until commencement, but is that really plausible? Wouldn’t more time eventually lead to only more debt for some people? I’m not hoping to start a scuffle, but are you presenting the ideal rather than what a norm?

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