Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of living in physical or spiritual form for an infinite length of time, or in a state of timelessness. Infinity (symbolically represented with ∞) comes from the Latin infinitas or "unboundedness For other uses see Time (disambiguation Time is a component of a measuring system used to sequence events to compare the durations of

As immortality is the negation of mortality—not dying or not being subject to death—it has been a subject of the greatest fascination to mankind since at least the beginning of history. Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the first literary works, dating back at least to the 22nd century BC, is primarily a quest of a hero seeking to become immortal. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Ancient Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literary fiction. The 22nd century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2200 BC to 2101 BC What form an unending human life would take, or whether the soul exists and possesses immortality, has been a fundamental point of focus of philosophy and religion, as well as the subject of speculation, fantasy, and debate. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos

As of May 2008, human physical immortality is not known to be an achievable possibility. MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle" 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Biological forms have inherent limitations in their design — for example, their fragility and slow adaptability to changing environments. Michael Shermer believes there is no significant scientific evidence for the proposed methods of achieving physical immortality, and says of them, "All have some basis in science, but none has achieved anything like scientific confirmation. Michael Brand Shermer (born September 8, 1954 in Glendale California) is an American science writer historian of science founder of The Skeptics " Jacques-Yves Cousteau, in the preface to his book The Ocean World, expressed his meditations on physical immortality, as a part of life and its adaptive processes: "Death is fundamental to evolution," and "evolution is fundamental to survival. Jacques-Yves Cousteau ( 11 June 1910 – 25 June 1997) was a French naval officer explorer, Ecologist, eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Survival skills are techniques a person may utilize for an indefinite duration in order to survive a dangerous situation (also see Bushcraft) " Cousteau concludes that, biologically speaking, "immortality does not present a possible means to avoid death. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles . . Mortal or immortal, an [organism] must die. "

A timeless existence is also not known for certain to be achievable, or even definable, despite millennia of arguments for eternity. Arguments for eternity composed a particularly important area of philosophical debate among Greek, Jewish Islamic and Christian Philosophers Wittgenstein, in a notably non-theological interpretation of eternal life, writes in the Tractatus that, "If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is the only book-length work published by Austrian Philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. "

Contents 1 Definitions 1.1 Spiritual 1.2 Hypothetical 1.3 Physical 2 Physical immortality 2.1 Causes of death 2.1.1 Aging 2.1.2 Disease 2.1.3 Trauma 2.2 Biological immortality 2.2.1 Biologically immortal species 2.2.2 Evolution of aging 2.3 Prospects for human physical immortality 2.3.1 Technological immortality 2.3.2 Cryonics 2.3.3 Mind-to-computer uploading 2.3.4 Cyborgology 2.3.5 Mystical and religious pursuits of physical immortality 3 Religious traditions 3.1 Hinduism 3.2 Shintoism 3.3 Zoroastrianism 3.4 Buddhism 3.5 Judaism 3.6 Christianity 3.6.1 Roman Catholicism 3.6.2 Jehovah's Witnesses 3.6.3 Mormonism 3.6.4 Other Christian beliefs 3.7 Islam 4 Ethics of immortality 4.1 Undesirability of immortality 4.2 Desirablity of immortality 5 Symbols 6 Fiction 7 See also 8 Notes and references 9 External links

Definitions

Spiritual

• The belief in an afterlife experienced by an immortal soul is a dogma of many branches of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living Dogma (the plural is either dogmata or dogmas, Greek, plural) is the established Belief or Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut This belief is related to the philosophy of dualism. In Philosophy of mind, dualism is a set of views about the relationship between mind and matter which begins with the claim that mental phenomena are in some

Christian belief is that [spirits] never die only our bodies and souls go to the grave and will be raised in God own order. Eternal life or eternal damnation is the choice that mankind will have to make.

Hypothetical

• Fame itself has been described as a method to "achieve immortality", if only semantically, so that the name or works of a famous individual would "live on" after his or her death. This view of immortality places value on how one will be remembered by generations to come. For example, in Homer's Iliad, Achilles is already nigh-invincible, so his primary motive for fighting in the Trojan War is recognition and everlasting fame. The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her
• Mystic approaches to immortality include those of the ancient Chinese Taoists and European medieval alchemists, seeking an elixir of life. Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions Alchemy a part of the Occult Tradition is both a philosophy and a practice with an ultimately unknown aim involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of The elixir of life, from Arabic الإكسير also known as the elixir of immortality or Dancing Water or Persian: Aab-e-Hayaat آب حیات
• Should metaphysical universals and abstract phenomena have an eternal existence, and if they can be interacted with by human beings, then a person might obtain a degree of immortality by interacting with them. Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science In Metaphysics, a universal is what particular things have in common namely characteristics or qualities For other uses see Abstract In Philosophy it is commonly considered that every object is either abstract or concrete While in the popular mind eternity often simply means existing for a limitless amount of Time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside of In Philosophy, ontology (from the Greek, genitive: of being (part Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus
• Quantum immortality is not widely regarded by the scientific community as being a verifiable or even necessarily correct offshoot of the many worlds interpretation. In Quantum mechanics, quantum suicide was a Thought experiment. The scientific community consists of the total body of Scientists its relationships and interactions The many-worlds interpretation or MWI (also known as relative state formulation, theory of the universal wavefunction, parallel universes, In the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, the wavefunction never collapses, and thus all possible outcomes of a quantum event exist simultaneously, with each event apparently spawning an entirely new universe in which a single possible outcome exists. Quantum mechanics is the study of mechanical systems whose dimensions are close to the Atomic scale such as Molecules Atoms Electrons A wave function or wavefunction is a mathematical tool used in Quantum mechanics to describe any physical system Quantum superposition is the fundamental law of Quantum mechanics. In this theory, a person could hypothetically live forever as there might exist a string of possible quantum outcomes in which that individual never dies.

Physical

• The persistence of life itself across time is a form of immortality, insofar as leaving surviving offspring or genetic material is a means of defeating death. Life is a state that distinguishes Organisms from non-living objects such as non-life and dead organisms being manifested by growth through Metabolism Sociobiology and Richard Dawkins' theory of the selfish gene are related to this understanding of immortality. Sociobiology is a neo-Darwinian and Socialism Synthesis of Scientific disciplines that attempts to explain Social behavior Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science
• Life extension technologies promise a path to complete rejuvenation. Life extension refers to an increase in maximum or average lifespan, especially in humans by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging. Rejuvenation is the procedure of reversing the aging process, thus regaining youth Cryonics holds out the hope that the dead can be revived in the future, following sufficient medical advancements. Cryonics is the low-temperature Preservation of Humans and other Animals that can no longer be sustained by contemporary Medicine until
• Mind uploading is the concept of transference of consciousness from a human brain to an alternative media providing the same functionality. In Transhumanism and Science fiction, mind uploading (also occasionally referred to by other terms such as mind transfer, whole brain emulation Assuming the process to be possible and repeatable, this would provide immortality to the consciousness, as predicted by futurists such as Ray Kurzweil. Futurists, or futurologists, are those who speculate about the future Raymond Kurzweil (kɚzwaɪl (born February 12 1948 is an inventor and Futurist. ^[1]

Physical immortality

Physical immortality is a state of life that allows a person to avoid death and maintain conscious thought, though it can mean the unending existence of a person from a physical source other than organic life, such as a computer. In the early 21st century, physical immortality remains a goal rather than a current reality. Active pursuit of physical immortality can either be based on scientific trends, such as predictions of an impending technological singularity, or because of a spiritual belief, such as those held by Rastafarians or Rebirthers. The technological singularity is a theoretical future point of unprecedented technological progress caused in part by the ability of machines to improve themselves using Artificial The Rastafari movement (also known as Rastafari, Rastafarianism or simply Rasta) is a monotheistic, Abrahamic, New Testament

Causes of death

Main article: Death

By definition, all causes of death must be overcome or avoided for physical immortality to be achieved. Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific There are three main causes of death: aging, disease and trauma. Ageing or aging (American English is the accumulation of changes in an organism A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly Treatment of physical trauma is described here and in First aid.

Aging

Aubrey de Grey, a leading researcher in the field, defines aging as follows: “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. Dr Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey (born 20 April 1963 in London, England) is a British biomedical gerontologist Ageing or aging (American English is the accumulation of changes in an organism In Chemistry, a molecule is defined as a sufficiently stable electrically neutral group of at least two Atoms in a definite arrangement held together by The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known living Organisms It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living and is often called For the 2008 British film by Noel Clarke see Adulthood (film. Metabolism is the set of Chemical reactions that occur in living Organisms in order to maintain Life. Pathology (from Greek grc πάθος pathos, "fate harm" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study and ” The current causes of aging in humans are cell loss (without replacement), oncogenic nuclear mutations and epimutations, cell senescence, mitochondrial mutations, lysosomal aggregates, extracellular aggregates, random extracellular cross-linking, immune system decline, and endocrine changes. Oncology is the branch of medicine that studies Tumors ( Cancer) and seeks to understand their development diagnosis treatment and prevention In Cell biology, the nucleus (pl nuclei; from Latin la ''nucleus'' or la ''nuculeus'' "little nut" or kernel is a membrane-enclosed In biology mutations are changes to the Nucleotide sequence of the Genetic material of an organism In Biology, the term epigenetics refers to changes in Gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence Senescence refers to the biological processes of a living Organism approaching an advanced age (i In Cell biology, a mitochondrion (plural mitochondria) is a membrane-enclosed Organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Lysosomes are Organelles that contain Digestive enzymes (acid Hydrolases. An immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an Organism that protects against Disease by identifying and killing Pathogens and Tumor The endocrine system is an integrated system of small organs that involve the release of extracellular signaling molecules known as Hormones The endocrine system is instrumental Eliminating aging would require finding a solution to each of these causes.

Disease

Disease is theoretically surmountable via technology. Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt Human understanding of genetics is leading to cures and treatments of a myriad of previously incurable diseases. Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is ^[which?] The mechanisms by which other diseases do their damage are becoming better understood. Sophisticated methods of detecting diseases early are being developed. Preventative medicine is becoming better understood. Generally speaking preventive medicine is the part of Medicine engaged with preventing Disease rather than curing it Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's may soon be curable with the use of stem cells. Parkinson's disease (also known as Parkinson disease or PD) is a degenerative disorder of the Central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's Alzheimer's disease ( AD) also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of Dementia. Stem cells are cells found in most if not all multi-cellular Organisms. Breakthroughs in cell biology and telomere research are leading to treatments for cancer. See also List of basic cell biology topics. Cell biology (also called cellular biology or formerly cytology, from the A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA at the end of Chromosomes which protects the end of the chromosome from destruction Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Vaccines are being researched for AIDS and tuberculosis. A vaccine is a biological preparation which is used to establish or improve immunity to a particular disease Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common Genes associated with type 1 diabetes and certain types of cancer have been discovered allowing for new therapies to be developed. Diabetes mellitus type 1 (Type 1 diabetes Type I diabetes T1D T1DM IDDM juvenile diabetes is a form of Diabetes mellitus. Artificial devices attached directly to the nervous system may restore sight to the blind. The nervous system is a Network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself Drugs are being developed to treat myriad other diseases and ailments.

Trauma

Physical trauma would remain as a threat to perpetual physical life, even if the problems of aging and disease were overcome, as an otherwise immortal person would still be subject to unforeseen accidents or catastrophes. Treatment of physical trauma is described here and in First aid. Ideally, any methods to achieve physical immortality would mitigate the risk of encountering trauma. Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks Taking preventative measures by engineering inherent resistance to injury is thus relevant in addition to entirely reactive measures more closely associated with the paradigm of medical treatment.

The speed and quality of paramedic response remains a determining factor in surviving severe trauma. A paramedic is a medical professional usually a member of the emergency medical service, who primarily provides Pre-hospital advanced medical and Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks ^[2] A body that could automatically treat itself from severe trauma, such as speculated uses for nanotechnology, would mitigate this factor. Nanotechnology, sometimes shortened to nanotech, refers to a field of Applied science whose theme is the control of matter on an Atomic and Molecular

Being the seat of consciousness, the brain cannot be risked to trauma if a continuous physical life is to be maintained. Consciousness has been defined loosely as a constellation of attributes of Mind such as Subjectivity, Self-awareness, Sentience, and the The brain is the center of the Nervous system in animals All Vertebrates and the majority of Invertebrates have a brain Therefore, it cannot be replaced or repaired in the same way other organs can. A method of transferring consciousness would be required for an individual to survive trauma to the brain, and this transfer would have to anticipate and precede the damage itself.

Biological immortality

Main article: Biological immortality

Biological immortality is an absence of aging, specifically the absence of a sustained increase in rate of mortality as a function of chronological age. A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and Protein that is found in cells. Biological Immortality can be defined as the absence of a sustained increase in rate of mortality as a function of chronological age Mortality rate is a measure of the number of Deaths (in general or due to a specific cause in some population scaled to the size of that population per unit time A cell or organism that does not experience aging, or ceases to age at some point, is biologically immortal.

Biologists have chosen the word immortal to designate cells that are not limited by the Hayflick limit, where cells no longer divide because of DNA damage or shortened telomeres. A biologist is a Scientist devoted to and producing results in Biology through the study of Organisms Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship The Hayflick limit is the number of times a cell will divide before it stops due to the telomere reaching a critical length. DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its Genome. A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA at the end of Chromosomes which protects the end of the chromosome from destruction Prior to the work of Leonard Hayflick there was the erroneous belief fostered by Alexis Carrel that all normal somatic cells are immortal. Leonard Hayflick (born May 20, 1928) PhD, is Professor of Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, School Alexis Carrel ( June 28, 1873 - November 5, 1944) was a French surgeon biologist and Eugenicist, who was awarded the "Somatic" redirects here for the musician known as Somatic see Hahn Rowe. By preventing cells from reaching senescence one can achieve biological immortality; telomeres, a “cap” at the end of DNA, are thought to be the cause of cell aging. Every time a cell divides the telomere becomes a bit shorter; when it is finally worn down, the cell is unable to split and dies. Telomerase is an enzyme which rebuilds the telomeres in stem cells and cancer cells, allowing them to replicate an infinite number of times. ^[3] No definitive work has yet demonstrated that telomerase can be used in human somatic cells to prevent healthy tissues from aging. On the other hand, scientists hope to be able to grow organs with the help of stem cells, allowing organ transplants without the risk of rejection, another step in extending human life expectancy. These technologies are the subject of ongoing research, and are not yet realized.

Biologically immortal species

Life defined as biologically immortal is still susceptible to causes of death besides aging, including disease and trauma, as defined above. This is a list of the oldest living organisms. This is usually defined as having a longer Lifespan than other organisms of similar Species (such Notable immortal species include:

• Bacteria (as a colony) — Bacteria reproduce through cell division. The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have Cell division is a process by which a cell, called the parent cell divides into two or more cells called daughter cells. A parent bacterium splits itself into two identical daughter cells. These daughter cells then split themselves in half. This process repeats, thus making the bacterium colony essentially immortal.
  Recent research, however, suggests that even bacteria as a colony may eventually die since each succeeding generation is slightly smaller, weaker, and more likely to die than the previous. ^[4]
• Hydra can be considered biologically immortal as they do not undergo senescence or aging. Hydra is a Genus of simple fresh-water animals possessing radial symmetry.
• Turritopsis nutricula, a jellyfish, after becoming a sexually mature adult, can transform itself back into a child (the polyp stage) using the cell conversion process of transdifferentiation. Turritopsis nutricula is a Hydrozoan with a life cycle in which it reverts back to the Polyp stage after becoming sexually mature. In Zoology, a polyp is one of two forms of individuals found in many species of Cnidarians The two are the polyp or hydroid and the medusa. Transdifferentiation in Biology takes place when a non- Stem cell transforms into a different type of cell, or when an already differentiated Turritopsis nutricula repeats this cycle, meaning that it may have an indefinite lifespan. ^[5]
• Bristlecone Pines are speculated to be potentially immortal; the oldest known living specimen is over 4800 years old. The bristlecone pines are a small group of Pine trees (Family Pinaceae, genus Pinus, subsection Balfourianae) that are thought to

Evolution of aging

Main article: Evolution of ageing

As the existence of biologically immortal species demonstrates, there is no thermodynamic necessity for senescence: a defining feature of life is that it takes in free energy from the environment and unloads its entropy as waste. Enquiry into the evolution of ageing aims to explain why almost all living things weaken The second law of Thermodynamics is an expression of the universal law of increasing Entropy, stating that the entropy of an Isolated system which In Thermodynamics, the Gibbs free energy ( IUPAC recommended name Gibbs energy or Gibbs function) is a Thermodynamic potential which In Thermodynamics (a branch of Physics) entropy, symbolized by S, is a measure of the unavailability of a system ’s Energy Living systems can even build themselves up from seed, and routinely repair themselves. Aging is therefore presumed to be a byproduct of evolution, but why mortality should be selected for remains a subject of research and debate. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Programmed cell death and the teleomere "end replication problem" are found even the earliest and simplest of organisms. ^[6] This may be a tradeoff between selecting for cancer and selecting for aging. ^[7]

Modern theories on the evolution of aging include the following:

Mutation accumulation is a theory formulated by Peter Medawar in 1952 to explain how evolution would select for aging. Sir Peter Brian Medawar, OM, FRS, ( February 28, 1915 &ndash October 2, 1987) was a Brazilian born Essentially, aging is never selected against, as organisms have offspring before the mortal mutations surface in an individual.

Antagonistic pleiotropy is a theory proposed as an alternative by George C. Williams, a critic of Medawar, in 1957. Pleiotropy occurs when a single Gene influences multiple phenotypic traits Consequently a new Mutation in the gene will have an effect on all Professor George Christopher Williams (b May 12 1926 is an American Evolutionary biologist. In antagonistic pleiotropy, genes carry effects that are both beneficial and detrimental. In essence this refers to genes that offer benefits early in life, but exact a cost later on, i. e. decline and death. ^[8]

The disposable soma theory was proposed in 1977 by Thomas Kirkwood, which states that an individual body must allocate energy for metabolism, reproduction, and maintenance, and must compromise when there is food scarcity. Thomas Kirkwood (born 1951 Durban, Southern Africa is an English biologist who made his contribution to the biology of ageing by proposing the concept of ''Disposable Compromise in allocating energy to the repair function is what causes the body gradually to deteriorate with age, according to Kirkwood. ^[9]

Prospects for human physical immortality

Technological immortality

Further information: Transhumanism

Technological immortality is the prospect for much longer life spans made possible by scientific advances in a variety of fields: nanotechnology, emergency room procedures, genetics, biological engineering, regenerative medicine, microbiology, and others. Transhumanism (sometimes symbolized by >H or H+) a term often used as a synonym for " Human enhancement " is an international intellectual Many Medical researchers believe that stem cell treatments have the potential to change the face of human disease and alleviate suffering Microbiology (from Greek grc μῑκρος mīkros, "small" grc βίος bios, " Life " and grc -λογία Contemporary life spans in the advanced industrial societies are already markedly longer than those of the past because of better nutrition, availability of health care, standard of living and bio-medical scientific advances. Technological immortality predicts further progress for the same reasons over the near term. An important aspect of current scientific thinking about immortality is that some combination of human cloning, cryonics or nanotechnology will play an essential role in extreme life extension. Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a Human being human cell, or human tissue. Robert Freitas, a nanorobotics theorist, suggests tiny medical nanorobots could be created to go through human bloodstreams, find dangerous things like cancer cells and bacteria, and destroy them. Robert A Freitas Jr is a Senior Research Fellow one of four researchers at the nonprofit foundation Institute for Molecular Manufacturing (IMM in Palo Alto, Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or Robots at or close to the microscopic scale of a Nanometres (10-9 Metres. ^[10] Freitas anticipates that gene-therapies and nanotechnology will eventually make the human body effectively self-sustainable and capable of living indefinitely, short of severe trauma. This supports the theory that we will be able to continually create biological or synthetic replacement parts to replace damaged or dying ones.

Cryonics

Main article: Cryonics

Cryonics, the practice of preserving organisms (either intact specimens or only their brains) for possible future revival by storing them at cryogenic temperatures where metabolism and decay are almost completely stopped, is the answer for those who believe that nanotechnology or nanorobots will not develop sufficiently within their lifetime. Cryonics is the low-temperature Preservation of Humans and other Animals that can no longer be sustained by contemporary Medicine until Cryonics is the low-temperature Preservation of Humans and other Animals that can no longer be sustained by contemporary Medicine until Ideally, cryonics would allow clinically dead people to be brought back in the future after cures to the patients' diseases have been discovered and aging is reversible. Rejuvenation is the procedure of reversing the aging process, thus regaining youth Modern cryonics procedures use a process called vitrification which creates a glass-like state rather than freezing as the body is brought to low temperatures. Vitrification is a process of converting a material into a Glass -like Amorphous solid that is free from any Crystalline structure either by the quick removal For freezing as a method of food preservation see Frozen food. This process reduces the risk of ice crystals damaging the brain structure. Many people who wish to become physically immortal think of cryonics as a backup plan in case the emerging life extension technologies don't develop rapidly enough.

Mind-to-computer uploading

Main article: Mind uploading

One interesting possibility involves uploading the personality and memories via direct mind-computer interface. In Transhumanism and Science fiction, mind uploading (also occasionally referred to by other terms such as mind transfer, whole brain emulation To download is to receive data from a remote or central system such as a Webserver, FTP server, mail server or other similar systems A brain-computer interface (BCI sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain-machine interface, is a direct communication pathway between a human or animal Extropian futurists have proposed that, thanks to exponentially growing computing power, it will someday be possible to upload human consciousness onto a computer system, and live indefinitely in a virtual environment. Extropianism, also referred to as extropism or Extropy, is an evolving framework of values and standards for continuously improving the human condition Futures Studies, Foresight, or Futurology is the science art and practice of postulating possible probable and preferable futures and the worldviews Exponential growth (including Exponential decay) occurs when the growth rate of a mathematical function is proportional to the function's current value In Transhumanism and Science fiction, mind uploading (also occasionally referred to by other terms such as mind transfer, whole brain emulation This could be accomplished via advanced cybernetics, where computer hardware would initially be installed in the brain to help sort memory or accelerate thought processes. Gradually more and more components would be added until the person's entire brain functions were handled by artificial devices, without any sharp transitions that would lead to some identity issues mentioned below. At this point, the human body would become only an accessory and the mind could be transferred to any sufficiently powerful computer. A person in this state would then be essentially immortal, short of cataclysmic destruction of the entire civilization and their computers.

However, other futurists argue that it is impossible to truly move one's consciousness from one body to another; it could be duplicated, but the original would still exist, creating two independent consciousnesses. In Transhumanism and Science fiction, mind uploading (also occasionally referred to by other terms such as mind transfer, whole brain emulation Uploading is still only a hypothesis and has no scientific backing or proof that it is possible.

Cyborgology

Main article: Cyborg

Transforming a human into a cyborg can include brain implants or extracting a human mind and placing it in a robotic life-support system. A cyborg is a Cybernetic Organism ( ie, an organism that has both artificial and natural systems A cyborg is a Cybernetic Organism ( ie, an organism that has both artificial and natural systems Brain implants, often referred to as neural implants, are technological devices that connect directly to a biological subject's Brain - usually placed on the Even replacing biological organs with robotic ones could increase life span (ie pace makers) and depending on the definition many technological upgrades to the body, like genetic modifications or the addition of nanobots would qualify an individual as a cyborg. Such modifications would make one impervious to aging and disease and theoretically immortal unless killed or destroyed.

Mystical and religious pursuits of physical immortality

Many Indian fables and tales include instances of metempsychosis — the ability to jump into another body — performed by advanced Yogis in order to live a longer life. Joseph Wright ( 3 September 1734 - 29 August 1797) styled Wright of Derby was an English landscape and portrait painter Reincarnation Metempsychosis is a philosophical term in the Greek language referring to the belief of Transmigration of the soul, especially its Reincarnation A yogi ( Sanskrit, feminine root Yogini) is a term for a male practitioner of various forms of the path of Yoga, maintaining There are also entire Hindu sects devoted to the attainment of physical immortality by various methods, namely the Naths and the Aghoras. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent.

Long before modern science made such speculation feasible, people wishing to escape death turned to the supernatural world for answers. Examples include Chinese Taoists and the medieval alchemists and their search for the Philosopher's Stone, or more modern religious mystics such as Sri Aurobindo, who believed in the possibility of achieving physical immortality through spiritual transformation. Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions The philosopher's stone (lapis philosophorum Greek: Chrysopoeia) is a Legendary substance supposedly capable of turning inexpensive Metals Sri Aurobindo (শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo) ( August 15, 1872 – December 5, 1950) was an Indian In 18th century France, a man who called himself the Comte de Saint-Germain claimed to be centuries old; people who adhere to the Ascended Master Teachings are convinced of his physical immortality. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Count of St Germain ( fl 1710–1784 has been variously described as a Courtier, Adventurer, Charlatan, Inventor, Students of Ascended Master Teachings organizations (also known as " Ascended Master Activities " believe that the Presence of Life - God - Individualizes as the "I

Rastafarians believe in physical immortality as a part of their religious doctrines. The Rastafari movement (also known as Rastafari, Rastafarianism or simply Rasta) is a monotheistic, Abrahamic, New Testament They believe that after God has called the Day of Judgment they will go to what they describe as Mount Zion in Africa to live in freedom for ever. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment or Day of the Lord is the judgment by God of every human who ever lived Zion ( Hebrew: צִיּוֹן ( Persian: صهیون tziyyon; Tiberian vocalization: tsiyyôn; transliterated Zion They avoid the term "everlasting life"' and deliberately use "ever-living" instead.

Another group that believes in physical immortality are the Rebirthers, who believe that by following the connected breathing process of rebirthing they can physically live forever.

Religious traditions

Main article: Afterlife

Until the late 20th century, there were no creditable scientific forecasts that physical immortality was obtainable. AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between Forecasting is the process of Estimation in unknown situations As late as 1952, the editorial staff of the Syntopicon found that in their compilation of the Great Books of the Western World, "The philosophical issue concerning immortality cannot be separated from issues concerning the existence and nature of man's soul. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A Syntopicon An Index to The Great Ideas ( 1952) is a two-volume index published as volumes 2 and 3 of Encyclopaedia Britannica ’s collection Great Great Books of the Western World is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952 by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc "^[11] Thus, the vast majority of speculation regarding immortality before the 21st century was regarding the nature of the afterlife. AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between

Spiritual immortality, also known as the immortality of the soul, is the unending existence of a person from a nonphysical source, or in a nonphysical state, such as a soul.

It is a belief that is expressed in nearly every religious tradition. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos In both Western and Eastern religions, the spirit is an energy or force that transcends the mortal body, and returns to: (1) the spirit realm whether to enjoy heavenly bliss or suffer eternal torment in hell, or; (2) the cycle of life, directly or indirectly depending on the tradition.

The world's major religions hold a number of perspectives on spiritual immortality.

Hinduism

Hindus believe in an immortal soul which is reincarnated after death. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. According to Hinduism, people repeat a process of life, death, and rebirth in a cycle called samsara. If they live their life well, their karma improves and their station in the next life will be higher, and conversely lower if they live their life poorly. Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्म, kárman - "act action performance" Pali: kamma) is the concept of "action" Eventually after many life times of perfecting its karma, the soul is freed from the cycle and lives in perpetual bliss. There is no eternal torment in Hinduism, temporal existence being harsh enough, although if a soul consistently lives very evil lives, it could work its way down to the very bottom of the cycle.

Shintoism

Shintoists claim that except for those who choose or are dispatched to the underground world of Yomi, every living and non-living being may lose its body, but not its soul (tamashii), and that they live together with mortal souls as an immortal being called Kami. is the native religion of Japan and was once its State religion. Yomi (黄泉 the Japanese word for the underworld in which horrible creatures guard the exits according to Shinto mythology as related in Kojiki Shinto allows anything to attain Kami status regardless of its existence before becoming Kami. Therefore, even those that do not believe in Shinto may choose to become Kami, as well as things like a rock, a tree, or even a robot. Some may be reincarnated for various reasons.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrians believe that on the fourth day after death, the human soul leaves the body and the body remains as an empty shell. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Souls would go heaven or hell; these concepts of the afterlife in Zoroastrianism may have influenced Abrahamic religions.

Buddhism

Buddhists believe that there is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth and that the process is according to the qualities of their actions. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the consciousness of a person (as conventionally regarded upon the death or dissolution of the aggregates ( Skandhas This constant process of becoming ceases at the fruition of Bodhi (enlightenment) at which a being is no longer subject to causation (karma) but enters into a state that the Buddha called amata (deathlessness). Bodhi (बोधि is both the Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English as "enlightenment Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्म, kárman - "act action performance" Pali: kamma) is the concept of "action" Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder

According to the philosophical premise of the Buddha, the initiate to Buddhism who is to be "shown the way to Immortality (amata)",^[12] wherein liberation of the mind (cittavimutta) is effectuated through the expansion of wisdom and the meditative practices of sati and samādhi, must first be educated away from his former ignorance-based (avijja) materialistic proclivities in that he "saw any of these forms, feelings, or this body, to be my Self, to be that which I am by nature". Mindfulness is concentrated awareness of one's thoughts actions or motivations Samadhi ( Sanskrit: sa समाधि is a Hindu and Buddhist technical term that usually denotes higher levels of concentrated meditation or Root of suffering Avidyā plays a key role in Buddhism and Buddhist doctrine and is the primary cause of suffering in {{IAST|saṃsāra}}.

Thus, desiring a soul or ego (ātman) to be permanent is a prime consequence of ignorance, itself the cause of all misery and the foundation of the cycle of reincarnation (saṃsāra). Form and consciousness being two of the five skandhas, or aggregates of ignorance, Buddhists believe that physical immortality is neither a path to enlightenment, nor an attainable goal: even the gods which can live for eons eventually die. In Buddhist phenomenology and Soteriology, the five skandhas ( Sanskrit) or khandhas ( Pāli) are five "aggregates" Upon enlightenment, the "karmic seeds" (saṅkhāras or sanskaras) for all future becoming and rebirth are exhausted. Saṅkhāra ( Pali; Devanagari: सङ्खार or saṃskāra ( Sanskrit; Devanagari संस्कार is a term figuring prominently In Hinduism sanskaras (singular sanskara) ( Sanskrit: impression under the impulse of previous impressions are the imprints left on the subconscious After biological death an arhat, or buddha, enters into parinirvana, an everlasting state of transcendental happiness. In the sramanic traditions of ancient India (most notably those of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha) arhat ( Sanskrit) or arahant In Buddhism, parinirvana ( Sanskrit: परिनिर्वाण parinirvāṇa; Pali: परिनिब्बाण parinibbāṇa

Judaism

Judaism claims that the righteous dead will be resurrected in the Messianic age with the coming of the messiah. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Messianic Age is a Theological term referring to a future time of Peace and brotherhood on the earth without Crime, War and Poverty They will then be granted immortality in a perfect world. The wicked dead, on the other hand, will not be resurrected at all. This is not the only Jewish belief about the afterlife. The Tanakh is not specific about the afterlife, so there are wide differences in views and explanations among believers. See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is

The Hebrew Bible speaks about sheol (שאול), the underworld to which the souls of the dead depart. The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic Sheol (pronounced "Sheh-ole" in Hebrew שאול (Sh'ol is the "abode of the dead" the " Underworld " "the common The doctrine of resurrection is mentioned explicitly only in Daniel 12:1-4 although it may be implied in several other texts. Later Judaism accepted that there would be a resurrection of all men (cf. Acts 24:14-15) and the intertestamental literature describes in more detail what the dead experience in sheol. The intertestamental period is term that Protestant Christians use to refer to a period of prophetic "silence" between the Old and New Testaments By the second century BC, Jews who accepted the Oral Torah had come to believe that those in sheol awaited the resurrection either in comfort (in the bosom of Abraham) or in torment. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the oral Torah, oral Law, or oral tradition ( is the oral tradition received in conjunction with the written Torah See also Intermediate state The phrase " Bosom of Abraham " refers to the place of comfort in Sheol (Greek hades

Christianity

Christian theology holds that Adam and Eve lost physical immortality for themselves and all their descendants in the Fall of Man, though this initial "imperishability of the bodily frame of man" was "a preternatural condition. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living The Fall of Man, or simply the Fall, in Christian doctrine refers to the transition of the first humans from a state of innocent obedience to God, "^[13]

According to the book of Enoch, the righteous and wicked await the resurrection in separate divisions of sheol, a teaching which may have influenced Jesus' parable of Lazarus and Dives. The Book of Enoch is any of several works that attribute themselves to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah and son of Jared ( Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives is a narrative attributed to Jesus that is reported only in the Gospel of Luke ( ^[14] Christians believe that every person that believes in Christ will be resurrected; Bible passages are interpreted as teaching that the resurrected body will, like the present body, be both physical (but a renewed and non-decaying physical body) and spiritual. This article concerns itself with the belief in the final Resurrection at the End of time, commonly found in the Abrahamic religions.

Specific imagery of resurrection into immortal form is found in the Pauline letters:

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. —1Corinthians 15:51-58

In Romans 2:6-7 Paul declares that God "will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life", but then in Romans 3 warns that no one will ever meet this standard.

After the Last Judgment, those who have been born again will live forever in the presence of God, and those who were never born again will be abandoned to never-ending consciousness of guilt, separation from God, and punishment for sin. In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment or Day of the Lord is the judgment by God of every human who ever lived Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation Eternal death is depicted in the Bible as a realm of constant physical and spiritual anguish in a lake of fire, and a realm of darkness away from God. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin A lake of fire appears in both Ancient Egyptian and Christian religion as a place where after death the wicked are punished or destroyed Some see the fires of Hell as a theological metaphor, representing the inescapable presence of God endured in absence of love for God; others suggest that Hell represents complete destruction of both the physical body and of spiritual existence. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering

Roman Catholicism

Roman Catholic dogmatic theology also used to teach that there is a supernatural realm called Purgatory where souls who have died in a state of grace but have yet to expiate venial sins or temporal punishments due to past sins are cleansed before they are admitted into Heaven. See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification In Christianity, divine Grace refers to the sovereign favour of God for humankind — especially in regard to Salvation — irrespective of actions Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond

Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses believe the word soul (nephesh or psykhe) as used in the Bible is a person, an animal, or the life a person or animal enjoys. Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination Hence, the soul is not part of man, but is the whole man — man as a living being. Hence, when a person or animal dies, the soul dies, and death is a state of non-existence, based on Ezekiel 18:4. The Book of Ezekiel is a book of the Hebrew Bible (of the Books of the Bible) named after the prophet Ezekiel. ^[15] Hell (hades or sheol) is not a place of fiery torment, but rather the common grave of humankind, a place of unconsciousness. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering ^[16][17]

After the final judgment, it is expected that the righteous will receive eternal life and live forever in an earth turned into a paradise. In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment or Day of the Lord is the judgment by God of every human who ever lived Righteousness in this article refers to the important theological concept in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 Paradise is a word of Persian origin ( Persian: پردیس Pardìs) that is generally identified with the Garden of Eden or with Heaven. Another group referenced as "the little flock" of 144,000 people will receive immortality and go to heaven to rule as Kings and Priests. Jehovah's Witnesses make the distinction that those with 'eternal life' can die though they do not succumb to disease or old age, whereas immortal ones cannot die by any cause. ^[18] They teach that Jesus was the first to be rewarded with heavenly immortality, but that Revelation 7:4 and Revelation 14:1, 3 refer to a literal number (144,000) of additional people who will become "self-sustaining," that is, not needing anything outside themselves (food, sunlight, etc. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου ) to maintain their own life. ^[19]

Mormonism

In Mormon theology, there are three degrees of glory which are the ultimate, eternal dwelling place for nearly all who lived on earth. TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon In Mormon Theology, there are three degrees of glory (alternatively kingdoms of glory) which are the ultimate eternal dwelling place for nearly all who Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, provided a description of the afterlife based upon a vision he reportedly received, recorded within the Mormon canonical writings entitled Doctrine and Covenants. Please see the talk page for this article and the "See also" list before adding content or adding a hyphen to Latter Day Saint AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the ^[20] According to this section of LDS scripture, the afterlife consists of three degrees or kingdoms of glory, called the Celestial Kingdom, the Terrestrial Kingdom, and the Telestial Kingdom. The Standard Works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church consists of several books that constitute its open scriptural In Mormon Theology, there are three degrees of glory (alternatively kingdoms of glory) which are the ultimate eternal dwelling place for nearly all who In Mormon Theology, there are three degrees of glory (alternatively kingdoms of glory) which are the ultimate eternal dwelling place for nearly all who In Mormon Theology, there are three degrees of glory (alternatively kingdoms of glory) which are the ultimate eternal dwelling place for nearly all who The few who do not inherit any degree of glory (though they are resurrected) reside in a state called outer darkness, which, though not a degree of glory, is often discussed in this context. In Christianity, the outer darkness is a place referred to three times in the Gospel of Matthew (812 2213 and 2530 into which a person may be "cast out" The only ones who go there are known as "Sons of Perdition". The notion of the Son of Perdition or the Man of Sin can be found in and and is a name commonly associated with the Antichrist

Critics of the Latter Day Saint Movement argue that Joseph Smith used the ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg to formulate the theology surrounding the three degrees of glory. (born Emanuel Swedberg; February 8 1688–March 29 1772 was a Swedish Scientist, Philosopher, Christian mystic, and Theologian

Other Christian beliefs

The doctrine of conditional immortality states the human soul is naturally mortal, and that immortality is granted by God as a gift. Conditional immortality, or conditionalism, is the Christian Doctrine that the human Soul is naturally mortal and that Immortality The doctrine is a "significant minority evangelical view" that has "grown within evangelicalism in recent years". Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel ^[21]

Some sects who hold to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration also believe in a third realm called Limbo, which is the final destination of souls who have not been baptised, but who have been innocent of mortal sin. Baptismal regeneration, the literal meaning of which is "being generated again" (regeneration "through baptism" (baptismal is the doctrine within some Christian See also Intermediate state Purgatory|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity In Roman Catholic theology Limbo (Latin limbus The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted Souls in Limbo include unbaptised infants and those who lived virtuously but were never exposed to Christianity in their lifetimes. Christian Scientists believe that sin brought death, and that death will be overcome with the overcoming of sin. Christian Science is believed by its supporters to be a system of spiritually scientific truths which are summed up in the two commandments having one God one Mind one Life Truth

Islam

Muslims believe that everyone has an immortal soul which will live on after death. The Golden Gate, as it is called in Christian literature is the oldest of the current Gates in Jerusalem's Old City Walls. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. A soul undergoes correction in Hell if it has led an evil life, but once this correction is over, the soul is admitted to Heaven. Souls that commit unforgivable evil will never leave hell. Some souls will therefore never taste Heaven.

Ethics of immortality

The possibility of clinical immortality raises a host of medical, philosophical, and religious issues and ethical questions. Transhumanism (sometimes symbolized by >H or H+) a term often used as a synonym for " Human enhancement " is an international intellectual These include persistent vegetative states, the nature of personality over time, technology to mimic or copy the mind or its processes, social and economic disparities created by longevity, and survival of the heat death of the universe. A persistent vegetative state (PVS is a condition of patients with severe Brain damage in whom Coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without detectable The heat death is a possible final state of the universe, in which it has " run down " to a state of no Thermodynamic free energy to sustain

Undesirability of immortality

Essential to many of the world's religions is a doctrine of an eternal afterlife. While in the popular mind eternity often simply means existing for a limitless amount of Time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside of AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between Narratives from Christianity and Islam assert that eternal afterlife is not desirable to the unfaithful:

The rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Lazarus ( Hebrew: אלעזר Elʿāzār Eleazar "God (has helped" is the name of two separate men mentioned in the New Testament. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

—Luke 16:22-26 King James Bible Translation

Those who are wretched shall be in the Fire: There will be for them therein (nothing but) the heaving of sighs and sobs: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord willeth: for thy Lord is the (sure) accomplisher of what He planneth. The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the And those who are blessed shall be in the Garden: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord willeth: a gift without break.

—The Qur'an, 11:106-108

Instances from other religions include the Buddhist concept of eternal rebirth, which considers that rebirth is caused by ignorance, an essentially undesirable condition that is to be overcome. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

Physical immortality has also been imagined as a form of eternal torment, as in Mary Shelley's short story "The Mortal Immortal", the protagonist of which witnesses everyone he cares about dying around him. Mary Shelley ( Née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; 30 August Jorge Luis Borges explored the idea that life gets its meaning from death in the short story "'The Immortal"; an entire society having achieved immortality, they found time becoming infinite, and so found no motivation for any action. " The Immortal " is the title of a short story by noted Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges.

Desirablity of immortality

Many religions promise their faithful an eternal paradise in an afterlife. Paradise is a word of Persian origin ( Persian: پردیس Pardìs) that is generally identified with the Garden of Eden or with Heaven. These presume perfection, as they are part of a divine plan, and are categorically desirable.

Physical immortality is considered desirable over its counterpart, death, which to date has been inevitable for all human beings. This presumes tolerable living conditions as an incentive for perpetual life, as the prevalence of suicide demonstrates.

Symbols

There are numerous symbols representing immortality. Pictured here is an Egyptian symbol of life that holds connotations of immortality when depicted in the hands of the gods and pharaohs who were seen as having control over the journey of life, the ankh (left). This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods Ankylosis progressive homolog (mouse, also known as ANKH, is a human Gene. The Möbius strip in the shape of a trefoil knot is another symbol of immortality. This article is about the mathematical object See Mobius Band (music group for the music group In Knot theory, the trefoil knot is the simplest nontrivial knot. Most symbolic representations of infinity or the life cycle are often used to represent immortality depending on the context they are placed in. Other examples include the Ouroboros, the Chinese fungus of longevity, the ten kanji, the phoenix, and the colors amaranth (in Western culture) and peach (in Chinese culture). The Ouroboros (Greek grc Ουροβόρος from grc ουροβόρος όφις "tail-devouring snake" also spelled Ourorboros, Oroborus, Uroboros are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana The phoenix ( Ancient Greek: Φοῖνιξ phoínix is a mythical sacred firebird in ancient mythologies starting with the Greek and later the Amaranth is a Reddish rose Color that is a representation of the color of the Flower of the Amaranth plant Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin Peach is a Color that combines Pink and orange Colors This color is named for the pale color of the Peach fruit The Culture of China (traditional Chinese 中國文化 simplified Chinese 中国文化 is home to one of the world's oldest and most complex Civilizations covering a history

Fiction

Main article: Immortality in fiction

Immortal beings and species abound in fiction, especially fantasy fiction. Immortality is a popular subject in Fiction, as it explores humanity's deep-seated fears and comprehension of its own mortality. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting

See also

• List of life extension-related topics

Actuarial escape velocity Amaranth Ambrosia Amrita Bioethics Biogerontology Chiranjeevin Alex Chiu Consciousness Crown of Immortality

Cryonics Elixir of life Eternal youth Holy grail Immortal DNA strand hypothesis Immortalist Society Immortality Institute Immortality test Indefinite lifespan

Infinity Internal alchemy Henrietta Lacks Lich Life extension List of immortal people Longevity Molecular nanotechnology Omega Point (Tipler) Organlegging

Posthuman Queen Mother of the West Real death Rejuvenation (aging) Simulated reality Suspended animation Technological singularity Nikola Tesla Xian (Daoist immortal)

Notes and references

External links

• Bhriktha Rahitha Tharaka Raja Yoga - First Atom's Final Attempt
• Why We Age - A scientific resource for aging and anti-aging research
• Immortality / Eternal Life - An Evangelical Christian perspective
• Immortality: A Taoist perspective
• Artificial Immortality
• Mary Shelley's The Mortal Immortal
• Who Wants to Live Forever? - Overview of the Three Basic Types of Immortality
• Discussion of immortality
• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: - Death and Immortality; Resurrection; Reincarnation
• "How you Can Have Eternal Life" by Jack Graham
• KurzweilAI.net
• Immortality Online All the latest news on Immortality and Human Life Extension
• Immortality Institute - Advocacy and Research on Indefinite Lifespan - Scientific and sociological discussions, activism, research
• Jhershierra Immortality Message Board - Discussion board of spiritualist Jhershierra
• "Inventor Kurzweil Aiming to Live Forever"; RedNova
• The Quest For Immortality - Informative article on the current status of immortality-related science.
• A History of Man's Quest for Immortality Indepth research into four major areas of the Quest for Immortality: Elixir, Body, Science, and Soul.
• Pimm - Partial immortalization
• Achieving Immortality via the Scientific Method
• Immortality International - Life is a basic human right
• The Immortality of the Soul and the Resurrection of the Body by Heinrich J. Vogel
• Eternity by J. P. Meyer

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