Yes, there are definitely a set of circumstances where I could see myself willing to essentially suicide when I’m significantly older. I mean, when you’re old, cheap wireheading seems to be equivalent to being given a choice between:
1: Die pleasantly and painlessly after a grand farewell party, allowing your family to have a good inheritance and ascend to the technological equivalent of heaven.
2: Die in a hospital bed after horrible mind crushing suffering where you are incoherent, draining away money and resources for your family, and then nothing.
If you’re going to die anyway (and I am assuming Immortal life is not on the table. If it is, then the entire scenario is substantially different), option 1 sure sounds a lot better.
And yes, there are also a large number of circumstances where I can see myself not wireheading as well. Maybe my Grandfatherly advice will prove absolutely crucial to my grandchildren, who think that my great grandchildren just won’t be the same without getting to meet me in person. It’s entirely possible that everyone around me will still need me even when I’m 70, or still when I’m 80, or even when I’m 90. (With medical technology improving, maybe 90 will be the new 70?)
That’s why I mentioned I’d want to get a feel for retired life before deciding to wirehead. I don’t really know what it’s going to be like being a retired person for me.
For that matter, the entire concept of retirement may not even be around by the time I’m 70. It’s not just my own philosophy that can change in 43 years. Our entire economic system might be different. And I also had the implicit assumption of cheap wireheading, but it may turn out that wireheading would be horribly expensive. That’s an entirely different set of calculations.
Yes, there are definitely a set of circumstances where I could see myself willing to essentially suicide when I’m significantly older. I mean, when you’re old, cheap wireheading seems to be equivalent to being given a choice between:
1: Die pleasantly and painlessly after a grand farewell party, allowing your family to have a good inheritance and ascend to the technological equivalent of heaven. 2: Die in a hospital bed after horrible mind crushing suffering where you are incoherent, draining away money and resources for your family, and then nothing.
If you’re going to die anyway (and I am assuming Immortal life is not on the table. If it is, then the entire scenario is substantially different), option 1 sure sounds a lot better.
And yes, there are also a large number of circumstances where I can see myself not wireheading as well. Maybe my Grandfatherly advice will prove absolutely crucial to my grandchildren, who think that my great grandchildren just won’t be the same without getting to meet me in person. It’s entirely possible that everyone around me will still need me even when I’m 70, or still when I’m 80, or even when I’m 90. (With medical technology improving, maybe 90 will be the new 70?)
That’s why I mentioned I’d want to get a feel for retired life before deciding to wirehead. I don’t really know what it’s going to be like being a retired person for me.
For that matter, the entire concept of retirement may not even be around by the time I’m 70. It’s not just my own philosophy that can change in 43 years. Our entire economic system might be different. And I also had the implicit assumption of cheap wireheading, but it may turn out that wireheading would be horribly expensive. That’s an entirely different set of calculations.