1 What’s the point of immortality

Immortality and Meaning

  • Question posed: What is the point of immortality, and wouldn’t it eventually become boring?

Claims Regarding Death

  • Two central claims:

    1. Death is necessarily a harm.

    2. Death is necessarily NOT a harm.

  • Williams argues against both claims.

Assumptions About Death

  • Claim #1 (death as harm) is often assumed without critique.

Case Study: Elina Makropulos

  • Background: A play by Karel Čapek, adapted into an opera.

  • Plot: Elina’s father created an elixir of life in the 16th century; Elina is now 342 years old.

  • Key Insight: Elina experiences boredom and indifference due to her eternal life; her joy has dissipated, signified by her statement: "in the end it is the same, singing and silence."

Philosophical Perspectives: Lucretius and Epicurus

  • Both philosophers argue that death is NOT necessarily a harm.

Concepts to Distinguish

  • Process of Dying: The experience leading up to death.

  • State of Being Dead: The condition after death.

Types of Desires

  • Contingent Desires:

    • Dependent on continued existence.

    • Format: "If I’m alive at future time t, I want x at t."

    • Examples:

      • Desire to buy a cute dress.

      • Desire to attend a game tomorrow.

      • Desire to save money.

      • Desire to earn a degree.

      • Desire to improve fitness.

  • Categorical Desires:

    • Independent of continued existence.

    • Format: "I want X."

    • Examples:

      • Desire for child not to be parentless.

      • Desire for parents to be spared grief.

      • Desire to impact the world positively.

      • Desire to climb Mount Everest.

      • Desire to publish a memoir.

Summary of Argument

  • Death CAN be a harm but is NOT always a harm.

  • Williams argues that immortality leads to boredom and meaninglessness.

Conditions for a Worthwhile Immortal Life

  • An immortal life must:

    • Preserve a sense of self over time.

    • Allow for the satisfaction of categorical desires, which gives life its reasons for existence.

Core Argument

  • For life to have worth, there must be a set of categorical desires.

  • Immortality means eventually running out of categorical desires, resulting in boredom and apathy.

  • Thus, true immortality would lead to an unworthwhile existence.

Premise Analysis

  • Premise 1: Life’s worth hinges on categorical desires.

    • Categorical desires provide subjective meaning and purpose to life.

    • Absence of these desires leads to a perception of life having no point.

  • Premise 2: Infinite lifespan (immortality) results in inevitable boredom.

    • Immortal life is essentially infinitely long, while the possible categorical desires are finite.

    • As desires are satisfied, the list may grow but will ultimately run out, given an infinite continuum.

Conclusion on Boredom

  • With no categorical desires left, life becomes meaningless, leading to boredom and apathy.

Relevance to Heaven

  • Common notions of heaven may also lead to absence of categorical desires.

  • Projects and relationships that provide meaning in life may lose significance in heaven.

Potential Issues in Heaven

  • Most categorical desires entail projects devoid of purpose in a heavenly context.

  • Questions raised: What purpose remains? Are we simply existing in friendships or observing the living?