This diary has little to do with politics or economics or the standard topics of this blog, at least in the usual sense, but its about a question that I've been mulling over for the past few months.
Assume with me that medical science in the near future (of the next 5-15 years) will open the possibility of very-extended-useful-lives for the wealthy.
It doesn't matter how long of an extended life you want to talk about -- say 125 years of healthy existence and another 15 years of decline if you were willing to pay a million dollars per year every year from your 80th birthday through the 125th. So, let's assume that its available only for the very rich.
Assume with me further that this jump in technology is not a once-in-a-millenium sort of thing. In other words, if you were 30 now, and had the money, you now knew that with today's technology you would expect to live healthy to 125. However, 75 years from now, the life-expanding technology would be further advanced, and you might again double your lifespan...and so on, and so on, and so on.
OK, here's my questions. First: does such life-expanding technoligy spell the doom of the Christian faith?
I'm not trying to be stupid about this. What I mean is that the Christian faith seems to revolve around the existence of a heavenly reward. You die. You get judged. You go to reward or punishment based on Gods judgment. The reason to be a believer is that otherwise God will punish you. Do "right" and you go to heaven. Do "wrong" and you go to hell after you die. What if you rationally believe you can never die? Does all this Christian morality go out the window then?
Second: does the existence of such technology create a feudal society? Again, I'm not being stupid. If this technology exists, then those who achieve self-perpetuating wealth will essentially live forever (or for so long as it does not matter). These people will not pass on their wealth; they will continue to live, and will presumably continue to accrue wealth. It would be like the FORBES 500 never die, and continue to acquire wealth throughout their lives.
I'll leave it there. Any thoughts out there?