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Ask HN: Which scifi authors to interview about immortality?

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21–30 of 62 posts

Re: Ask HN: Which scifi authors to interview about immortality?

#21

Ferrett Steinmetz His book The Uploaded deals with the consequences of a world where the dying are granted digital immortality in a fantasy filled utopian adventure, but they still get to vote. The real world is falling apart, few people care about their bodily existence, looking for any excuse to die, and the uploaded have all the political power.

That brings to mind a short story where only those under a certain age were allowed to vote or hold political offices or command position, while the clinically immortal elders were still allowed to have advisor and observer roles. It might have been the one with the baby-eaters, but I can't recall now. It also brings to mind the Futurama where Prof. Farnsworth ages out and is forced to move to the retirement planet.

Even our ancestors feared rule by the dead, which is where the rule against perpetuities comes from.

Re: Ask HN: Which scifi authors to interview about immortality?

#22
James L. Halprin His "The first immortal" from 1998 is the best example I've ever seen of the next 150 years. It's amazing to go back and reread this and see what he predicted is unfolding in our current time.

Free download: https://coins.ha.com/information/tfi.s?type=-FIRSTIMMORTAL.C...

Re: Ask HN: Which scifi authors to interview about immortality?

#23
Mr. Bruce Sterling authored "Holy Fire" in 1996, a novel which deals with the topic of radical life extension through a protagonist who is an elderly woman. Contemplative, and a fun read.

Were he alive, Jules Verne would have been an excellent choice. Verne's tomb has a statue dedicated to immortality and eternal youth, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne#/media/File:Verne_...

Re: Ask HN: Which scifi authors to interview about immortality?

#24
post #2

Peter F. Hamilton Besides writing marvelous sci-fi which I would recommend everyone to read, many of his books center around a world where humans rejuvenate. Basically you go to a clinic where your body's age is turned back to whatever age you desire (or maybe a new body is grown, can't remember). When you are there your "brain" (memories, thinking patterns etc) is backed up meaning if you are killed the clinic will…

I was actually coming in to say this.

The Common Wealth and Void Sagas are great and sound to be what you are looking for.

Aging can be reversed, bodies can be clone and have a back you installed, genes can be modification. Death exist, but is almost always temporary.

Re: Ask HN: Which scifi authors to interview about immortality?

#25
post #9

Try Charlie Stross (@cstross), if he's not interested in being interviewed himself I'm sure he'll still give you an interesting reccomendation set.

Toast, a collection of his short stories, has a story about some brains being uploaded to a computer and being used to run tech support. In the years since I read that, I've often thought back to it.

Re: Ask HN: Which scifi authors to interview about immortality?

#29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ending of A Colder War hints at the rather bad possibilities of virtual immortality...

And he doesn't actually think the singularity or mind uploading will happen: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/06/reality-...

Well, who knows exactly how Cthulhu (or K-Thulu) eats souls?
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