Immortality and apeirophobia

Philosophers who say: “after death a timeless state will begin”, or: “at death a timeless state begins”, and do not notice that they have used the words “after” and “at” and “begins” in a temporal sense, and that temporality is embedded in their grammar. (1932)
– Ludwig Wittgenstein, Culture and Value, 22e (Winch trans, 1980).

Apart from whether it will ever be possible to live forever or even indefinitely – some people think it is or will be – would it be desirable?

If so, why? If not, why not?

Resources

• “Philosophy and Death | Bernard Williams,” Dave Egan Philosophy (video).
• “The Makropulos case: reflections on the tedium of immortality,” Bernard Williams, from Problems of the Self, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973.
• “Bernard Williams | The Makropulos Case: reflections on the tedium of immortality,” Victor Gijsbers (video).
• “We Should Want Immortality | John Martin Fischer,” Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff, Brain in a Vat, (video).
• “The frightening infinite spaces: apeirophobia,” Anders Sandberg, Andart II, 2017.
• “A stealthy Harvard startup wants to reverse aging in dogs, and humans could be next, biologist George Church says the idea is to live to 130 in the body of a 22-year-old,” MIT Review, Antonio Regalado, 2018.
• “Philosophy 2465 Survey | Death and the Meaning of Life,” what people say about living forever, OSU.