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Immortality — The Time Compression Problem

Sci-fi books and movies often explore the topic of immortality, and modern medicine is constantly extending the human lifespan. But what would immortality be like? The problem I keep running into as I ponder this, and other related ideas, is what I call the Time Compression Problem.

We've all experienced it. When we were children, Summer used to last forever. 20min in the doctor's waiting room felt like an eternity. Time seemed to move very slowly. But as we get older, our perception of time changes. It speeds up. And it continues accelerating the older we get. I'm in my 40s and months already feel like weeks to me. I can only imagine what time must feel like to people in their 60s and beyond.

In considering immortality, this compression in our perception of time must surely become intolerable as we reach 150, continuing on to our 2nd century. What must that be like to the person living it? At some point, a year is going to feel like a day. And this time compression is only going to continue as infinite years roll by.

I don't think our human minds could handle it. While we may live forever, the realities of time compression could render our minds broken and useless as we exceed the limits of our evolved brains. And how would that manifest? Madness? Breakdown? Perhaps some other debilitation?

At this point, it's just a thought exercise, or something to think about on the afternoon train. But as we live longer, as our technology, and our mastery of the world increase, the reality of time compression in the human mind will become a real issue that scientists and doctors need to aim their talents at. Because keeping the body going may be the easy part. Maintaining the integrity, and healthy functioning of our minds may be quite difficult, and certainly something to think about if you're writing the next best-selling sci-fi novel! #blog

imnuso 11mo ago

I think it’s mainly a function of neuronal optimization. As patterns repeat in life the brain filters out what’s less relevant. This is partly reversible by training mindfulness. Like a reset of value judgements opining up perception again.

The more interesting question for me would be „why would one want this?“

If your can live for hundreds of years it seems to me a good strategy to filter more stuff out and operate on a higher level of abstraction.

However, if you say „no I want to experience as much as possible at any given moment“ then you don’t need to live that long in the first place because you already had this in your first year of life.

Eternity is omnipresent.

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Discussion

SLCW 11mo ago

That's very similar to my (and nostr:nprofile1qqsph3c2q9yt8uckmgelu0yf7glruudvfluesqn7cuftjpwdynm2gygpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduq3qamnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3wwa5kuegpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezumrpdejqwk5cd9's) thinking on the matter. I was thinking that as we experience more and more, our brains sort go into standby mode while in familiar surroundings, performing routine tasks, and having known experiences. In these daydream-like states, we don't perceive time the same way. It's only when we're fully conscious and having novel experiences that our minds perceive time. So, as we get older and have fewer new experiences, our perception of time accelerates as the time spent in that standby mode increases. There may be a better way to express what I'm talking about, but I'm just a layperson with an active imagination!

imnuso 11mo ago

I think you’re right. There is a whole class of theories in psychology and cognitive science called two-process theories. They basically propose pretty much what you described:

There is an energy-intensive, slow, deliberate mode of linear cognition that uses environmental cues to switch on. When the cues indicate less relevance, the brain switches back to the default mode, the other process, which is energy-saving, fast, intuitive, parallel. I haven't focused much on time perception in using these concepts, but I'd bet it applies well.

I haven't read it, but I assume Daniel Kahneman's book Thinking Fast and Slow refers to these concepts.