002. Intimations

[electroniccrane]

[Audio // English]

In the Metamorphoses of Ovid, the Sibyl of Cumae is granted a wish by the god Apollo, in exchange for her virginity. She takes up a handful of sand and wishes to live for as many years as the grains of sand she holds. Later, she spurns the god's affections and he denies her eternal youth. The Sibyl wastes away over the years

Comments

[missmimmi]

I would trade nothing, for I would rather not be immortal.

[electroniccrane]

Why?

[missmimmi]

The thought of living forever disturbs me beyond reason.

[electroniccrane]

"Forever" is so vague. Humans live a hundred years, give or take. To people who count their lives by decades, is there much of a difference between living a thousand years and living "forever?"

[missmimmi]

I suppose not.

[electroniccrane]

I think the longing for "immortality" is more an expression of a desire for control over one's destiny. Death is the ultimate loss of control.

[missmimmi]

It could very well be. I like to think death is the passage to a different sort of life.

[electroniccrane]

I'm afraid I know a little too much about the working of my consciousness to hope for that.

[missmimmi]

I do not... understand.

[electroniccrane]

If my brain functions cease, my existence will cease with them. Consciousness is a material process, though not a deterministic one.

[She sounds neutral on the whole idea.]

[missmimmi]

And you are fine with that belief?

[electroniccrane]

Whether or not I'm fine with it doesn't affect the truth value of a statement.

[missmimmi]

How are you so sure it is the truth?

[electroniccrane]

We've got the brain mapped where I'm from. We can do things like create memories that never happened, or remove unpleasant ones. It doesn't leave much room for some kind of extra-material soul.

[missmimmi]

Sounds like a faithless world.

[electroniccrane]

Oh, it doesn't stop people from practicing their religions. Humans are good at holding contradictory ideas. I've just had more cause to think about the matter than most.