What would happen if humanity was biologically immortal? At first glance, it’s easy to think about the positives that could come out of it. People can spend an eternity with their loved ones without the fear of death. It would also definitely be interesting to live in a world where significant historical figures walk hand and hand together. But upon closer inspection of the question, it becomes evident that human immortality would be an overall detriment to humanity.
One of the major positives that could come out of human immortality is increased communication among generations. And mankind as a whole. If the people of the past were still alive today, the current and next generations could, and would find much benefit in learning from their experiences, in order to make the future mankind better. Intergenerational communication could benefit society due to the fact that families can accumulate and provide more knowledge about things like family trades within their bloodlines. People like blacksmiths from the Iron Age could hone their crafts alongside their kin, resulting in higher quality goods, and increased product output. Human immortality would also promote long-term infrastructure projects. For example, if humanity wanted to build bullet trains that spanned across the Atlantic Ocean, they could do so due to the fact that they, quite literally, have all the time in the world. Additionally, immortality could help deepen the relationships humans come to develop with each other. Couples, friends, and family could spend an eternity with each other, without experiencing any of the sadness from death. And lastly, immortality could also help people see their dreams come true. It’s not farfetched to say that the technologies of the previous centuries don’t hold a candle to the technology now. But as of today, significant technological advances are seemingly happening daily, but this was not the case centuries ago. If someone like Nikola Tesla were immortal, he could see his dreams of compact and efficient wireless communication become realized via smart phones. If all the dreamers from past times could see their dreams become reality, there would be a sense of accomplishment and euphoria like no other in society.
But despite the positives that could come from human immortality, it would most certainly be an overall negative for the human race. And the key issue is overpopulation, according to the Population Reference Bureau, approximately 117 billion humans have been born throughout history. These are impossible numbers to support with the Earth’s current resources. Even if 117 billion people found a way to fit on the planet comfortably, the quality of life would be abysmal for each and every one of them. There would be little to no water, food, or energy to go around for everyone. Living in a world with well over one-hundred billion people would be miserable, to put it bluntly. Fossils fuels would deplete almost instantaneously in an attempt to try to support the population, and the increased usage of them would consequently result in a sharp increase of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Another issue that could also arise from human immortality is that life would, ultimately, become meaningless. Living for all of eternity will eventually become boring to people, doing the same things eternally would undoubtedly result in increased mental health issues in society. There would also be no incentive for societal change, as the social hierarchies and systems of the past would likely still be in effect. In a world where humans have immortality, social issues like slavery, discrimination, and persecution may very well still exist that were present in previous societies.
At the end of the day, mortality is what gives life its beauties. It’s what caused humanity to evolve and improve over centuries. Life is built on experiences and memories that are built during the short lifetimes of individuals. And if this short period would become limitless, it would lose its value gradually over time, until it would become ultimately meaningless for all. Marcus Aurelius once said, “It is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live.” In this scenario, this quote serves to highlight that the duration of one’s life is not directly correlated to one’s happiness. Decisions, connections, and achievements are what make people who they are, not the longevity of life.
