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Comment by nyokodo | Hacker News Reader

> As usual, immortality is the solution.

I’m not sure if you’re joking or not but many people are not when they say this.

Immortality is impossible in this universe given known physics. The use of the word is at best equivocation and a rather desperate self-delusion. Even if we ignore physics the probability of dying by murder or suicide trend towards 1. All of us are contingent and will eventually face our death.

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Nothing in physics says it is impossible. The current theory in thermodynamics is that the general arrow of entropy applied to biology is decreasing internal entropy (of the cell or lifeform) at the expense of higher external entropy.

Are you prepared to bet on this?

As far as I know, the currently most accepted hypothesis for the universe is that it will reach a state of thermodynamic equilibrium, or heat death[1], which is definitely incompatible with relying on entropy, and life in general.

We have a bit of time to worry about that if we manage to get rid of aging though, I'll give you that !

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_death_of_the_universe

Life requires usable external energy to effect that decreasing internal entropy. Usable energy is a finite resource in the universe, what happens when that runs out then? Certain death.

Wait, biological immortality is real in our universe. There's jellyfish that literally do not die from old age ever.

> There's jellyfish that literally do not die from old age ever.

"Biological immortality" is an equivocation. Immortality is not dying, "not aging" is not immortality as, for instance, those jellyfish definitely die. Even if we stopped humans biologically aging and cured all diseases the universe will still find a way to kill us even if we sidestep all the causes until the universe itself dies of heat death.

I think its a joke mate ;)

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