189 Essays on Infinite Lifespans   Mike Treder havoc? Clearly this is foolishness. Of course we should use all available means to better human life. We have been doing it for ages with fire, farming, steam, electricity, antibiotics, vaccines,  dental  prosthesis,  organ  transplants,  etc.;  and  we should not stop now. If modern science and technology can safely improve the human condition by overcoming natural limits, including aging and death, then they should be used to this end. Determining whether something is good or bad simply by asking whether or not it is natural does not follow common sense. All this is not to say that we should ignore the moral and ethi- cal challenges that confront us. Questions of safety, propriety, individual choice, and societal responsibility must not be dis- missed, but must be considered gravely and at length. Issues of overpopulation, reproductive rights, resource distribution, and  environmental  impact  must  be  addressed  forthrightly. This can only be done, however, in an atmosphere of open- ness and progressive thinking. EMANCIPATION FROM DEATH For  those  who  still  believe  that  opposing  death  is  some- how wrong or unnatural, please remember that opposition to human slavery was also once considered crazy and dangerous. Arthur C. Clarke has written: Every revolutionary idea evokes three stages of reactions: At first people say, “It’s completely impossible.” Then they say, “Maybe it’s possible to do it, but it would cost too much.” Finally they say, “I always thought it was a good idea.” [4]