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by HPMOR·3y ago·view on hn ↗
All though you're correct it is rational to not fear death. I personally, and likely many other people here, have a very very strong aversion to it.

I DO NOT want the cessation of experience.

Ideally, I'd like to continue in perpetuity, to see the sun rise from Venus, or visit my tenth generation offspring on Saturn.

All of those missed experiences would be deeply saddening. To see our species conquer to universe, to see intelligent life bloom in the darkness of space, that is the goal.

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I would also like to continue in perpetuity, it's why maintain general fitness and I generally avoid some life-shortening things like smoking (though I do consume alcohol). The problem is that life in perpetuity doesn't actually happen even from treatments of even our wildest sci-fi fictions. By extending life, we merely kick the can of death down the road...

Actual immortality achieved would just push concerns to the heat death of the universe, and folks acting as Cyber-Punk Holden Karnofsky would be spilling ink about the need to invest in star-moving technology to create a big crunch. I don't mean to be trite here. The point is 10 years, 100, years, 1000 years, or 100 billion years, the dilemma is the same, because the linearity of time means any non-infinite amount of life is ultimately minuscule.

The psychological dilemma of existentialism is a challenging one, I'll fully admit that. It's one I've accepted. The benefits also exist though. It forces you to live in the moment to some extent, when others are solely focused on the future.

> I DO NOT want the cessation of experience.

What you want isn't always what you get. There are a lot of people that have all kinds of urges that they know aren't going to happen. That's perfectly normal, but for so called 'rational' people that fraction that has these irrational desires is a bit strange to me. Rationally: everything dies, sooner or later, and so will you. So the way to get the most out of it is to make sure that you make every minute count.

The cessation of experience is not so bad when you're asleep. It wasn't so bad before you were born.