Mister Poll: If people lived a lot longer/forever

If the technology becomes available for people to extend their lives a lot longer than we can now, perhaps without any real limit, what would that be like?

When do you think the next major jump in extending people's lives beyond the current 120 or so maximum we seem to have will come?

Never

In under 10 years

In under 20 years

In under 50 years

Over 50 years away

If you could be healthy and feel young, would you want to live much longer than what's reasonable to assume you will by today's standards?

Of course

No way

Maybe

Who do you think would be advantaged by any longevity discoveries scientists come up with in the future?

The rich, as always...first the really rich, then the average people in rich countries

Everyone eventually

The extremely rich only

Only a select few, it would likely be kept a secret from the rest of us

What sort of mindset would you expect a person who knows they and many others will live hundreds of years or more would have?

Same as if they were going to live much less

Much more environmentally/socially conscious

Much more greedy and power/money hungry

Careful to the point of being paranoid and annoying by our standards

Do you think scientific/artistic/etc. advances would be helped by people living much longer than they do now?

Yes. People could be well educated and productive for many more years.

No. People wouldn't be inspired to be any more productive than if they had shorter lives. There would be the same people progressing and the same not for a long time.

Which of the following would be key to avoid a lot of the possible troubles that might come along with having immortal/near immortal people?

Changing people to be more tolerant of others, more sharing and co-operative to avoid wars

Making people physically smaller so there are enough resources and there is enough space for the amount of people we'd soon have

A ban on having children if you're immortal, or an agreement to give up your immortality if you want to have some

If some people were immortal, what kind of traits might they develop?

Apathy for life, maybe even hate living

Extreme understanding/peace with oneself and surroundings...spiritual, content

Extreme technological understanding/advancement

Crazy, hording, greedy, corrupt, powerful, etc.

Insane in some way or another, in general

Need for more and more extreme forms of entertainment...using technology beyond our comprehension to just not be bored

This poll was created on 2006-06-25 03:01:50 by Nickismynickname