Immortality

== Sociology ==

If human beings were to achieve immortality, there would most likely be a change in the world's [[social structures]]. Sociologists argue that human beings' awareness of their own [[wikt:mortality|mortality]] shapes their behavior.<ref>[Dossey, Larry; In: Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing; Mar/Apr2017; v.13. n.2, 81–87. 7p. (editorial) {{ISSN|1550-8307}} {{PMID|28108110}}, Database: CINAHL Complete]</ref> With the advancements in medical technology in extending human life, there may need to be serious considerations made about future social structures. The world is already experiencing a global [[demographic shift]] of increasingly ageing populations with lower replacement rates.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=He, Goodkind, Kowal|first1=Wan, Daniel, Paul|title=An Aging World: 2015|journal=International Population Reports: U.S. Census Bureau|date=March 2016|volume=1|issue=16|pages=1–30|url=https://census.gov|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref> The social changes that are made to accommodate this new population shift may be able to offer insight on the possibility of an immortal society.

Sociology has a growing body of literature on the sociology of immortality, which details the different attempts at reaching immortality (whether actual or symbolic) and their prominence in the 21st century. These attempts include renewed attention to the dead in the West,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Walter|first=Tony|date=2 October 2019|title=The pervasive dead|journal=Mortality|volume=24|issue=4|pages=389–404|doi=10.1080/13576275.2017.1415317|issn=1357-6275|doi-access=free}}</ref> practices of online memorialization,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Elaine Kasket MA|first=Psy D|date=1 July 2012|title=Continuing bonds in the age of social networking: Facebook as a modern-day medium|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02682621.2012.710493|journal=Bereavement Care|volume=31|issue=2|pages=62–69|doi=10.1080/02682621.2012.710493| s2cid=218602211 |issn=0268-2621}}</ref> and biomedical attempts to increase longevity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lafontaine|first=Céline|date=September 2009|title=The Postmortal Condition: From the Biomedical Deconstruction of Death to the Extension of Longevity|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09505430903123008|journal=Science as Culture|language=en|volume=18|issue=3|pages=297–312|doi=10.1080/09505430903123008|s2cid=145387514|issn=0950-5431}}</ref> These attempts at reaching immortality and their effects in societal structures have led some to argue that we are becoming a "Postmortal Society".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1107015985|title=Postmortal society towards a sociology of immortality|date=2018|others=Michael Hviid Jacobsen|isbn=978-0-367-08538-4|location=London; New York|oclc=1107015985}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hurtado Hurtado|first=Joshua|date=25 January 2021|title=Towards a postmortal society of virtualised ancestors? The Virtual Deceased Person and the preservation of the social bond|journal=Mortality|volume=28 |pages=90–105|doi=10.1080/13576275.2021.1878349|issn=1357-6275|doi-access=free|hdl=10138/353467|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Foreseen changes to societies derived from the pursuit of immortality would encompass societal paradigms and worldviews, as well as the institutional landscape. Similarly, different forms of reaching immortality might entail a significant reconfiguration of societies, from becoming more technologically oriented to becoming more aligned with nature.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hurtado Hurtado |first=Joshua |date=2022-07-18 |title=Envisioning postmortal futures: six archetypes on future societal approaches to seeking immortality |journal=Mortality |volume=29 |pages=18–36 |doi=10.1080/13576275.2022.2100250 |s2cid=250650618 |issn=1357-6275|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Immortality would increase population growth,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gavrilov|first1=Leonid A.|last2=Gavrilova|first2=Natalia S.|date=April 2010|title=Demographic Consequences of Defeating Aging|journal=Rejuvenation Research|volume=13|issue=2–3|pages=329–334|doi=10.1089/rej.2009.0977|issn=1549-1684|pmc=3192186|pmid=20426616}}</ref> bringing with it many consequences as for example the impact of population growth on the environment and [[planetary boundaries]].