The Problem with Life - Is it Solved by Merging with Machines?

Here are two strangely related collections of links from yesterday's Bookforum Omnivore - one on the challenges of life, and the other on the coming singularity, when we will merge with machines (thus solving many of the problems of biological life).

The problem with life

Aug 27 2012

1:00PM

• From The Journal of Personal Cyberconsciousness, Giulio Prisco on how to cope with death. 
• The world is a mess: Rafael Melo on how the problem with life is desire. 
• Should it be legal for a doctor to give that one final prescription for suffering? Scott McLemee considers a book on death with dignity. 
• Members of The Cult of Life can be quite dangerous, as they look and sound normal, may approach you in an affable manner, and generally claim to be concerned with your well-being. 
• A review of The Mansion of Happiness: A History of Life and Death by Jill Lepore. 
• Why not commit suicide? Fil Rabat on why he’s sold on anti-natalism (and part 2).
• Michael Dowd on a scientific honoring of death and on the sacred side of death. 
• How long do you want to live? New discoveries may bring a steeper increase in life span — but not everyone wants it.
• If life after death is a fact, wouldn’t our favorite activities somehow unconsciously resemble it? 
• Raymond Tallis on the case for assisted dying. 
• Are goals ever worth accomplishing? A “horrible person who happens to be right about life” wonders. 
• Emily Landau on Rakoff and Hitchens on death, with nothing afterward.

 And the solution?

We'll be merging with machines

Aug 27 2012 

5:00PM

• David Gunkel (NIU): The Machine Question. 
• Taking over from evolution: Arthur Saniotis and Maciej Henneberg on how technology could enhance humanity. 
• What does the word “post-human” actually mean? Of course, we’ll be merging with machines, but what’s the final product? 
• From The Journal of Personal Cyberconsciousness, Giulio Prisco on Transcendent Engineering. 
• How can one promote longevity in the polarized atmosphere of contemporary USA politics? Registering to vote is the first step. 
• Do you want to be immortal, really? Yes, really. 
• Would it be boring if we could live forever? George Dvorsky wonders. 
• Immortality will arrive via Singularity, nanotech, or genetic engineering, say 800+ transhumanists. 
• Nikola Danaylov on 17 definitions of the technological Singularity and on the top 10 reasons we should fear the Singularity. 
• Luke Muehlhauser is facing the Singularity. 
• For four years, Singularity University has deployed “exponentially advancing technologies” to address humanity’s biggest problems; now the elite Silicon Valley school is planning to exponentially advance itself.