If consciousness were immortal, would the narratives of our existence change?
Following on the previous post, I did go ahead and gave ChatGPT the following prompt: Survey sci-fi literature where the theme is immortality and summarize how consciousness in such a world navigates immortality. Below is the response provided by the ChatGPT about notable science fiction works where immortality is central. The summary from each explores how characters and societies grapple with eternal life.
ChatGPT’s Response
1. The Immortal by Jorge Luis Borges (1947)
In this philosophical tale, a Roman soldier discovers a river that grants immortality. Over the centuries, he learns that eternal life leads not to glory but to apathy and meaninglessness. Immortality dulls experience and memory, leaving the once-vibrant pursuit of knowledge hollow. Ultimately, the narrator renounces immortality, choosing to live as a mortal again, suggesting that death gives life significance.
The narrative explores immortality as a curse. Without the prospect of death, of a finite lifetime, desire, purpose, and identity erode, leaving life monotonous and devoid of meaning. On the other hand, living with the knowledge of having a finite lifetime, we end up trying to comprehend the meaning of it all.
2. The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke (1956)
In the city of Diaspar, humans are immortal, living in a utopia governed by machines. Minds are stored and reincarnated over eons, yet society has become stagnant, fearful of change and the unknown. The protagonist, Alvin, longs for novelty and ventures beyond, discovering forgotten histories and alien contact. Immortality is portrayed as a stifling sameness that can only be escaped through curiosity.
The story portrays immortality as intellectual and cultural stagnation, relieved only by rare individuals who dare to embrace change and rediscovery.
3. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan (2002)
Human consciousness can be stored digitally and transferred between bodies (“sleeves”). The wealthy achieve practical immortality, but the soul’s continuity becomes ambiguous. Over time, the ultra-rich become detached, sociopathic, and unaccountable. Immortality is class-bound and ethically corrosive. Protagonist Takeshi Kovacs navigates a brutal world where life is cheap, and death, for some, is no longer a limit.
The narrative critiques how technological immortality can have a dark side and a source of inequality and moral decay, questioning whether eternal life devalues human experience.
4. The Postmortal by Drew Magary (2011)
A cure for aging is discovered, leading to widespread societal collapse. Overpopulation, strained resources, and the stagnation of culture and relationships ensue. Governments eventually regulate death and reproduction. The protagonist chronicles his descent into nihilism. The novel suggests that the natural lifecycle provides societal and personal balance.
The narrative envisions immortality as catastrophic for society, where eternal youth lead not to utopia but to breakdown, regulation, and loss of meaning. Of course, the natural side effect of immortality is its consequence for reproduction that cannot be sustained in a resource limited environment. Also, without death and reproduction, the process of natural selection stalls.
5. Tau Zero by Poul Anderson (1970)
While not about biological immortality, the novel deals with relativistic time dilation, effectively making the crew immortal relative to the universe. Trapped on a ship approaching light speed, they outlive the universe’s death and rebirth. Their struggle is existential: how to maintain purpose when time becomes meaningless. They ultimately find renewal in cosmic rebirth.
Immortality in this narrative is cosmological, highlighting the importance of purpose and adaptability when confronting eternal horizons.
6. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (2005)
Elderly humans enlist in the military and are given genetically enhanced young bodies, essentially restarting life. While not strictly immortal, it explores extended life and identity shifts. Some begin to question the ethics and consequences of trading mortality for strength and war. Memory and connection to one’s past life are lost.
The narrative examines rejuvenation as both a gift and a loss, raising questions about continuity of self, ethics, and the cost of escaping death.
7. Tithonus by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (Poem, 1860)
While not a novel, it deeply influenced sci-fi themes. Tithonus is granted immortality without eternal youth. He wastes away eternally, lamenting that he cannot die. This classic myth encapsulates the horror of immortality without renewal.
In this poem, immortality without youth becomes a punishment. Tennyson’s Tithonus foreshadows sci-fi’s treatment of eternal life as tragic when unbalanced.
8. Diaspora by Greg Egan (1997)
Humans evolve into post-biological forms, uploading consciousness into virtual “polises.” Immortality becomes the norm, and identity is fluid. Yet even here, the narrative confronts the limits of existence: entropy, meaning, and isolation. Egan treats immortality as a vast intellectual frontier but never free of existential peril.
In this narrative digital immortality is an intellectual liberation, yet still bound by fundamental existential limits like entropy and loneliness.
9. The Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock (1974)
Set in a far future where godlike humans manipulate time and matter, life is an endless decadent playground. Without death, consequence, or need, morality dissolves. A time traveler from the past introduces emotion, love, and conflict, disrupting the static eternity.
This narrative satirizes immortality as hedonistic boredom, where only the reintroduction of limits can restore passion and meaning.
10. The Boat of a Million Years by Poul Anderson (1989)
Immortal humans scattered across history try to find meaning and connect. They experience isolation, loss, and a slow evolution toward greater understanding. Eventually, they unite and help lead humanity into space. Immortality becomes a means of wisdom rather than power.
Here, the story presents immortality as a slow, often painful path to maturity, connection, and stewardship of humanity’s future. While the early parts of the story focus on loneliness and alienation, the novel evolves into a surprisingly optimistic vision. The immortals eventually find each other and form a kind of community. With centuries of experience, they guide humanity toward a spacefaring future. Immortality becomes a means of patient stewardship, not power.
The next prompt to ChatGPT was “What would be ratio of sci-fi narrative in which immortality has negative connotations compared to positive ones.”. Below is the response.
ChatGPT’s Response
The ratio of negative to positive portrayals of immortality in science fiction is heavily skewed toward the negative — roughly 4:1 or even 5:1, depending on how strictly one defines the genre and scope. Here’s a breakdown of why that is and what it looks like:
Negative Portrayals (~80%)
In the vast majority of sci-fi stories, immortality is a cautionary tale, emphasizing:
- Loss of meaning or purpose
- Stagnation and decadence
- Ethical decay or social inequality
- Psychological tolls such as loneliness, detachment, or madness
- Overpopulation and ecological collapse
Positive or Nuanced Portrayals (~20%)
These narratives emphasize:
- Human adaptability and curiosity
- The possibility of eternal exploration
- The role of death as a choice, not a limit
If the ratio is indeed true, there could be several reasons for it.
- Dystopian stories allow for a wider range of narratives. After all, what interesting story one can write about utopia?
- The authors are projecting what they are familiar with — the negatively and insanity, search for meaning — humanity is always engaged in. Life with the prospects of immortality extends current experiences into a different setting.
Epilogue
Living in a universe devoid of inherent meaning, we possess a consciousness uniquely capable of questioning the meaning of its own existence. The knowledge of death can unsettle our belief in any larger narrative behind our actions. Death’s inevitability forces us to weigh the significance of one pursuit over another — playing Pickleball instead of studying Mahayana Buddhism — should I choose one over the other, and why?
In our ongoing search for meaning — if only to steady our journey — it is natural to wonder: if consciousness were immortal, would the narratives of our existence change?
Science fiction explores this question through speculative visions of immortal worlds, yet these narratives often remain fraught with conflict: boredom, stagnation, and a loss of purpose. Perhaps we are merely projecting familiar fears onto these imagined realms. Or perhaps such outcomes are intrinsic to consciousness itself — an inescapable pattern woven into the fabric of awareness, forever prompting a search for meaning. The specifics of the narrative may shift with settings, but the existential thread endures, bound by a deeper inevitability at the heart of sentient life.
It was fun to interact with ChatGPT on this though
Ciao, and thanks for reading.
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