Бесмртност

The Fountain of Eternal Life in Cleveland, Ohio is described as symbolizing "Man rising above death, reaching upward to God and toward Peace."

Феникс, симбол бесмртности

Бесмртност (лат. immortalitas) је стање ослобођености од смрти или уништења, односно стање вечног живота. Појам бесмртности обично означава учење по којем душа надживљује телесну смрт. Понекад се односи и на вечност бића.

Учење о бесмртности може укључити само преживљавање душе схваћене као духовне суштине привремено смештене у телу или може укључивати ускрснуће тела, као у аврамским религијама.

Certain scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immortality may be achievable in the first few decades of the 21st century. Other advocates believe that life extension is a more achievable goal in the short term, with immortality awaiting further research breakthroughs. The absence of ageing would provide humans with biological immortality, but not invulnerability to death by disease or injury. Whether the process of internal immortality is delivered within the upcoming years depends chiefly on research (and in neuron research in the case of internal immortality through an immortalized cell line) in the former view and perhaps is an awaited goal in the latter case.

Схватања

Према Платоновој филозофији могуће је да душа надживи пропаст тела. За Аристотела, душа је форма тела, и не може постојати без њега као одвојена супстанција, као што осмех не може постојати без лица. У платонистичким и неоплатонистичким традицијама бесмртност се пре доживљава као безвременост, где је циљ мудрог човека живети изван времена, а не живети вечно.

Теорија личне бесмртности наглашава да ћемо после сопствене смрти (као смрти коју утврђују други) живети други живот, односно наставити да живимо вечно.

Чињеница је да неке од црта личности могу наставити постојање и након смрти. Нечије дело, слава или озлоглашеност, или гени, могу свакако опстати у духовима или телима других.

Аргументи

Аргументи да је душа бесмртна укључују метафизичке доказе (нпр. да је једноставна, те се не може разложити), моралне (нпр. да је бесмртност претпоставка моралности, те праведни тријумфују, а неправедни бивају кажњавани) и емпиријске (нпр. случајеви да живи људи имају искуства са душама или духовима мртвих).

Ниједан доказ из ових породица не ужива неко веће поштовање међу савременим филозофима. Метафизичке доказе је напао Хјум, а посебно Кант у књизи II Трансценденталне дијалектике Критике чистог ума. Морални докази више личе на пусте жеље него на доказе, а емпиријски су дискредитовани општим неповерењем у парапсихологију.

Религија остаје најснажнији извор веровања у бесмртност, а став да је некохерентно претпостављати одвајање духа и тела остаје главни филозофски одговор. Међутим, много мање пажње је посвећивано питању зашто бесмртност изгледа пожељна.

Физичка бесмртност

Узроци смрти

There are three main causes of death: aging, disease, and injury. Such issues can be resolved with the solutions provided in research to any end providing such alternate theories at present that require unification.

Старење

Aubrey de Grey, a leading researcher in the field, defines aging as "a collection of cumulative changes to the molecular and cellular structure of an adult organism, which result in essential metabolic processes, but which also, once they progress far enough, increasingly disrupt metabolism, resulting in pathology and death." The current causes of aging in humans are cell loss (without replacement), DNA damage, oncogenic nuclear mutations and epimutations, cell senescence, mitochondrial mutations, lysosomal aggregates, extracellular aggregates, random extracellular cross-linking, immune system decline, and endocrine changes. Eliminating aging would require finding a solution to each of these causes, a program de Grey calls engineered negligible senescence. There is also a huge body of knowledge indicating that change is characterized by the loss of molecular fidelity.

Болести

Disease is theoretically surmountable by technology. In short, it is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism, something the body shouldn't typically have to deal with its natural make up. Human understanding of genetics is leading to cures and treatments for a myriad of previously incurable diseases. The mechanisms by which other diseases do damage are becoming better understood. Sophisticated methods of detecting diseases early are being developed. Preventative medicine is becoming better understood. Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's may soon be curable with the use of stem cells. Breakthroughs in cell biology and telomere research are leading to treatments for cancer. Vaccines are being researched for AIDS and tuberculosis. Genes associated with type 1 diabetes and certain types of cancer have been discovered, allowing for new therapies to be developed. Artificial devices attached directly to the nervous system may restore sight to the blind. Drugs are being developed to treat a myriad of other diseases and ailments.

Траума

Physical trauma would remain as a threat to perpetual physical life, as an otherwise immortal person would still be subject to unforeseen accidents or catastrophes. The speed and quality of paramedic response remains a determining factor in surviving severe trauma. A body that could automatically repair itself from severe trauma, such as speculated uses for nanotechnology, would mitigate this factor. The brain cannot be risked to trauma if a continuous physical life is to be maintained. This aversion to trauma risk to the brain would naturally result in significant behavioral changes that would render physical immortality undesirable for some people.

Види још

• Смрт
• Вечност
• Васкрсење
• Реинкарнација

Литература

• Allen, Richard James (1999). Thursday's Fictions. Wollongong: Five Islands Press. ISBN 978-0-86418-596-9. 
• Alexander, Brian (2003). Rapture: How Biotech Became the New Religion. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-7382-0761-2. 
• Bolonkin, Alexander (2010). Rapture: Human Immortality and Electronic Civilization. Publish America. ISBN 978-1-4489-3367-9. 
• Bova, Ben (2000). Immortality: How Science Is Extending Your Life Span-and Changing the World. New York: Avon. ISBN 978-0-380-79318-1. 
• Cave, Stephen (2012). Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How it Drives Civilization. Crown. ISBN 978-0-307-88491-6. 
• Cullmann, Oscar (1955). Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead?. Архивирано из оригинала 26. 10. 2009. г. CS1 одржавање: Формат датума (веза)
• Edwards, Paul (1997). Immortality. Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-57392-130-5. 
• Endsjø, Dag Øistein (2009). Greek Resurrection Beliefs and the Success of Christianity. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-61729-2. 
• Elixxir (2001). The Immortalist Manifesto: Stay Young & Save the World. Authorhouse Books. ISBN 978-0-7596-5339-9. 
• Freitas Jr.; Robert A. (2002). „Death is an Outrage”. Приступљено 14. 2. 2008. CS1 одржавање: Формат датума (веза)
• de Grey, Aubrey; Rae, Michael (септембар 2007). Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs that Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime. New York: St. Martin's Press. стр. 416. ISBN 978-0-312-36706-0. CS1 одржавање: Формат датума (веза)
• Gertz, Sebastian R. P. (2011). Death and Immortality in Late Neoplatonism. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-20717-2. 
• Hall, Stephen S. (2003). Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Human Life Extension. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-618-09524-7. 
• af Hällström, Gunnar (1988). Carnis Resurrection: The Interpretation of a Credal Formula. Societas Scientiarum Fennica= Helsinki. 
• Immortality Institute (2004). The Scientific Conquest Of Death. Libros En Red. ISBN 978-987-561-135-1. 
• Perkins, Pheme (1984). Resurrection: New Testament Witness and Contemporary Reflection. Garden City: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-17256-7. 
• Perry, R. Michael (2000). Forever For All: Moral philosophy, Cryonics, and the Scientific Prospects for Immortality. New York: Universal Publishers. ISBN 978-1-58112-724-9. 
• Pickover, Clifford (2007). A Beginner's Guide to Immortality: Extraordinary People, Alien Brains, and Quantum Resurrection. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 978-1-56025-984-8. 
• Rohde, Erwin (1925). Psyche: The Cult of Souls and Belief in Immortality among the Greeks. New York: Harper & Row. 
• Salmond, Stewart (1903). The Christian Doctrine of Immortality (PDF). 
• West, Michael D. (2003). The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-50928-2. 

Спољашње везе

• „Immortality”. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 
• Scientists are Close to Finding a Way to be Immortal
• Turritopsis nutricula:Palscience Meet The Only Immortal Species on Planet Earth
• The Methuselah Foundation Aubrey de Grey's non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for aging
• KurzweilAI.net Ray Kurzweil resource site
• BiologicalGerontology.com Chris Smelick's Biogerontology site
• Vitae Institute Chris Smelick's non-profit organization
• ELPIs Theory Marios Kyriazis' theory of human biological immortality
• Immortality Institute Scientific and sociological discussions, activism, research
• "Death and Immortality" Dictionary of the History of Ideas, etext at the University of Virginia Library
• "Immortality" Immortality – What Will Eternal Life Be Like?
• The Immortality of the Soul and the Resurrection of the Body Lecture by Heinrich J. Vogel
• An Essay on the Scriptural Doctrine of Immortality by James Challis
• Eternity: Christ's Return, Chiliasm, Resurrection of the Dead, Judgment, Hell, Luther on Eternity, Heaven J.P. Meyer, The Northwestern Lutheran, 22 August 1954, Vol. 41, # 17 to 14 April 1957, Vol. 44, No. 8
• "How you Can Have Eternal Life" Jack Graham, PowerPoint Ministries, Christianity.com
• Immortality Taoist essay, personaltao.com
• The Trial to Conquer Death Ancient Scientific Yoga – The First Atom's Final Attempt
• [1] A review by Dr. Peter Fenwick of the book Human Immortality by Mohammad Samir Hossain
• Mary Shelley's The Mortal Immortal