immediate position of nature — BrianW

What do you mean?

I mean that the significance of life and death may lie beyond what we currently designate as nature/natural and which could only be realised as we unfold more of the working of existence/reality as we hope to do in the future. The reason I say that is, if evolution is to be believed as a process which develops the best out of life-forms (hypothetically), then it may be natural to do away with those that are imperfect for the sake of the greater good. So, it may be that death is part of nature's plans no matter how much we manage to prolong our lives. And, because nature is intelligent and vast, it is possible that the answer lies far beyond our immediate environment and capacities.

That is something I can relate to. Do you have any idea, since you talk of creating ''space'' for the new through death, whether death is something that evolved? I mean could it be that at a certain point in time both mortal and immortal cells/lifeforms evolved but the latter were, paradoxically, ''unfit'' for survival?

Or is it that death is simply inevitable because cells are constantly under environmental stress and succumb to them, meaning that if not for these stresses cells would be immortal?

Do you have any idea, since you talk of creating ''space'' for the new through death, whether death is something that evolved? — TheMadFool

I think death is a relation, not unlike time, between what was and what is or will be.

I mean could it be that at a certain point in time both mortal and immortal cells/lifeforms evolved but the latter were, paradoxically, ''unfit'' for survival?

Or is it that death is simply inevitable because cells are constantly under environmental stress and succumb to them, meaning that if not for these stresses cells would be immortal? — TheMadFool

I'm one of those who believe that if something has a starting point then it must have an end point.

Logically, I think death is just another form of change. For example, I have a friend who inherited a toyota starlet (early 90s model) and insists on keeping it in the family as an heirloom to be passed down to coming generations. However, other than the body (as of now), everything else has been upgraded with newer equipment and from what I see of the car, it won't be long before it gets a new body too. Personally, I think it's a new car with an old body even if he insists otherwise. I think the same would apply to life and death even if death stops being as jarring as it is now.
Maybe, sooner than we think, it will be possible to increase our life spans to over 150/200 years but it would still mean newer body cells, tissues, organs, etc and perhaps even a newer mentality/mindset. It's not like parts of us don't die off everyday. I think we just need to regulate the whole body as well as, if not better than, the parts.