Technology as the Elixir of Immortality – Resurgent Philosophical and Spiritual Enigma of Human Imprisonment

Abstract

Human life has always been understood as an inner tension between the mortality of the human body and the desire of the soul to attain immortality. The tension between mortality and immortality has reached new dimensions with the developments in medicine, technology and artificial intelligence that have the potential to extend our lives in many ways. In this paper, the authors first present a philosophical consideration of the body, which has often been seen as the prison of the soul, and then the modern quest for immortality. In the fourth chapter, they present the good news of Christianity, which is, among other things, that the body enables human beings to live their life in integral relationships and fulfil their vocations, and then the Christian understanding of immortality. They conclude by pointing to the new questions raised by the immense investment in the development of technology, especially artificial intelligence, which deep down is an expression of man’s desire for immortal life. At the same time, they point out that man can overcome his fear of death and discern multiple ways to avoid it if he is willing to accept death as an integral part of his life.

Keywords

• hannah arendt
• immortality
• eternity
• plato
• soma-sema
• the good news of christianity
• an integrated view of man