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Can religion survive human immortality?
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The complexity of the human animal is nowhere clearer than in its impressive display of emotion. We are capable of selfless and unconditional love. The intensity of our hatred can, and often does, rival that of our mercy and compassion. Humans are capable of the greatest acts of good and kindness. We are also able to irrationally inflict the most heinous of evil on one another. But our complexity is but a beautiful illusion. A few steps in the evolutionary ladder separate us from our closest non-human relatives. Despite our apparent supremacy over the rest of this planet’s inhabitants, we are, at the very basis of our being, just like the rest of them. This extraordinary emotional spectrum of ours is no different in its purpose to any other organism; it is a tool for survival. The need to survive, individually and across the species, is the one greatest motive instilled by nature. It is the enabler of evolution and natural selection. It is what makes technological and scientific progress possible. Above all, it is the reason men have embraced, and still embrace, religion. Our ability to self-reflect lifts us over the simple fight-or-flight mechanics that exist in all animals. We are self-aware. We recognize our individual uniqueness and lament its inevitable demise. Our physical bodies will certainly wither with time. But our consciousness is separate and immaterial. It is our essence; what makes us who we are. Unbound by the rule of this world, we hope that this essence will survive eternally.
It is no surprise then, that the older and closer to death we are, the more religious we tend to become. But what would happen if this most fundamental law of nature is broken. What would happen if we finally find the fountain of youth? Will we still cling to hopes of surviving souls when physical death is no longer a problem?
Immortality was once the domain of fantasy and science fiction. But with the current scientific progress in the areas of genetics, biotechnology, computing, and nanophysics it is becoming more and more plausible.
Scientists still do not have a complete understanding of the aging process. Nevertheless, breakthroughs in life-extension have been achieved in several areas. The manipulation of certain cellular components (like the telomeres) has shown to significantly lengthen the life of the cell, and it appears to have potential for curing certain cancers. Experiments on lab rats have shown that life-expectancy can be increased by 30% or more simply by decreasing their metabolism (by restricting their calorie intake for an example).
Theorists believe that nanobots can be created and injected into the blood stream with the potential for miracles. Robotic red blood cells can be used to transport a much larger amount of oxygen than normal blood cells. Nano white blood cells can be engineered to be much more powerful and efficient than what we have now. Nanobots can be programmed to repair the cellular damage normally caused by aging.
Before too long, computers will be as powerful as the human brain. Procedures for uploading the contents of one’s brain, like memories and personality traits, can be developed as to upload the contents onto a hard drive. The data can be then transferred into a newly cloned human that will pick up where the older person left off.
Scientists in the field of life-extension envision such progress not in a far, unforeseeable future. Many expect achieving some form of immortality within the 21st century. What will happen to religion then? With the threat of death a thing of the past, will people hang on to the antiquated and irrational religious ideas? Only time will tell.
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