Would We Want to Live Forever?

What if we could live forever? Neil deGrasse Tyson takes us through life and death: if we could live forever what would life really mean? We explore why fresh flowers have meaning and why dogs make every day count. Learn about the Cretaceous-Tertiary Event, The Permian-Triassic Extinction, The Holocene Epoc, and how Earth is one killing machine.

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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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00:00 - Introduction: Life & Death
00:14 - What If We Could Live Forever?
2:26 - Flowers & Dogs
5:10 - Prehistoric Extinctions & Earth as a Killing Machine
6:47 - The Holocene Epoc

[StarTalk]

Who else is thinking about their childhood dog now? 😢

[sethschexneider]

My dad died yesterday and I needed this video. Thanks Neil.

[PatrickGoodspeed]

Life seems all too short to me. It feels like I'm just starting my life and I'm almost 60. I don't know if I'd want to live forever but I would like the choice of being able to live as long as I choose to. I feel probably we would evolve over time and become more developed than we could imagine in our short lives.

[ThGreenMachine]

My dog died this week, I think I needed this

[brian]

I don’t know about “forever”, but at least until I’m ready!

[ruymanbr]

More of this reading with Neil!!! I could hear him all day long :)

[thedantr]

Without even starting to listen: Yes. i would like to life forever, or rather: Would like to choose the place and time to truly die for myself.
When i feel it, when i have seen it all, when i have reached my limit and cannot continue to grow without passing what i know in the the next generation because i feel i lack a certain point of view to do so. I decide the successor and my passing. That would be the best of both worlds for me.

[leeoflincoln]

Well done mate. This reflects my own view of our existence. I do not worry about death. It will come, I cannot prevent this. I simply rejoice in my existence. I am so privileged to be existent at this time.

[IamKnucks]

I don't know if I would like to live forever, but I love my life right now. I have the best wife, a wonderful daughter and a stable financial situation. I don't want this ride to end anytime soon.

[donlakakwaaijazz]

I am 66 years old, and strangely, I no longer fear death, my mother is 94 years old, and my grandmother died at 105; what I have also learned from them is that their mind has prepared them to go anytime, and they start talking about being tired. I am just wondering if those that lived generations back when life was short, did they have the same feelings as older people today

[lunarminx]

I have been living chronic pain that is disabling, that's not living to me as the pain sucks most joy away. I could not imagine living forever in pain. Its been this way since 2008 and I am so done, that I would love not to wake up tomorrow. Please don't take this as a suicide threat, its not, ive been under care since 2014 for it. I cant say when was the last time I was truly happy. Long past the nickname of sunshine!

[vegvegv]

I get the points surrounding not wanting to live forever, but I think that intrinsic human desire to keep living and wanting to live forever is probably the one I side with more.

[timc]

When we are young we think that we can live forever or we want to live forever, so very much that we can do . As we got older and lose loved ones and friends we realize the total horror it would be to have to live on forever never having even one loved one or friend who will understand and relate, I find life lonely enough already as it is, I would not want to live forever, truth being said I wish nature would hurry up, I'm tired, all alone, and lost too many that I loved already, a life time of loosing is not good . Yes for as much as we suffer there is such a beauty to life and the wonderful adventure it brings so this is why every possible day is so important and why survival is paramount . There is a reason for every life even if that life seems a waste, there was a reason for it we may never know, there is a reason why babies that are supposed to die, somehow lived on yet didn't appear to do a thing, silently working every day to help keep everything evened out . The saddest part is the life forgotten . I remember and think about every dog I got to share my life with, every day, I can remember every person who came and went, I lived 55 years and am already exhausted I could not conceive the horror of eternity .

[marekjureczko]

what people want is not immortality, but a life of good health at the peak of their physical abilities until death.

[silviavalentine]

Before I even watch this I want to say this: I only am here for one goal and I only have so many days before I get too old to accomplish it. If given the chance to extend my life while keeping my intelligence and memories intact, I would gladly take it. Just so I can have more time.

[kamranchaudhry]

Wish I had heard this before speaking at the memorial of my cousin who died on Feb 6, 2024, due to TB, Heart enlargement, thalassemia and post delivery. I miss her but didnt want her to live with aal this burden and pain. Thanks for the support Neil.

[Anonymous-mdqp]

I didn’t choose to be born. The monotony of paying taxes, mortgages, sitting in traffic, cooking, cleaning etc gets old really quickly. There is absolutely no way I would want this to continue forever.

[GinaCarmichael-ndpt]

I find Neil deGrasse Tyson to be so unique exquisite to the senses of every discipline. Profound. I love you. The Greatest of all times.

[SirCheeto]

Is it weird that I hear Neil’s voice speaking in my head when I read his books?

Also, love the editing on this video, it made the reading excerpt even more interactive.

[Mina-E-Zack]

I lost my uncle this week
Nothing makes me feel better than this video
Thank you 🙏