I.V.

Vishev
PhD Philosophy, Professor
South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia
IMMORTOLOGY AS A BROAD FIELD OF THE UNITY OF ACTIONS
Immortology (lat. Im - without; mors, mortis - death; logos - science) is the
science of immortality. This concept was introduced in the academic community
forty years ago [1, p.155], and since then it has received a well-founded and
justified "rights of citizenship."
Immortology in its essence and purpose is an alternative to religious, mystical,
and idealistic version of transcendental personal immortality. At first, namely in
these doctrines the original dream of unlimitedly long and dignified existence found
its manifestation, which acquired a clearly speculative character. For such versions
the following suppositions are typical: on one hand, the belief in the supernatural
which is supposedly able to bestow the posthumous (strictly speaking, postmortal,
not immortalistic) human existence, and, on the other hand, an understanding of
death as a mandatory, indispensable prerequisite of transition into the "other world".
It turns them into its apologia [2, p. 106-118; 3, p. 42-53]. The latter condition is of
crucial philosophical significance.
Meanwhile, the real and ultimate goal of research in the given field is to make
each human being personally undying, virtually immortal, i.e. capable of staying
young and live unlimitedly long without any specific limit to the extent that it could
be argued that a man became virtually immortal [4, p. 107; 5, p. 319], notably in the
only real world. However, it must be emphasized that in contrast to religious,
mystical, and idealistic versions of transcendental doctrines of immortality where it
is understood in an absolute sense, for instance as the immortality of the soul which
is intrinsically impossible from a scientific point of view, in immortology
immortality is treated as relative since it does not exclude accidental death (trauma,
an unknown disease, a failure in the metabolism, etc.). Thus, it also raises the
problem of restoring a man's life, his real resurrection [6, p. 170-173]. In other
words, another cherished dream of the possibility of human revitalization in the
event of the loss of human life should find its actual fulfillment in immortology.
Non-traditional human immortality problem definition and solution are truly
systematically important and determine the content and objectives of immortology.
To sections are pivotal - historical and theoretical. In the first part the tendency of
changing pessimistic ideas of human death and immortality with optimistic ones.
Thus, beliefs according to which gods created human beings in their own image and
likeness to give them some of their functions prevailed in mythological and
polytheistic consciousness. For instance, the Bible tells us that God firstly "planted"
the Garden of Eden by himself, "brought forth" every tree, and then "settled" a man
in this garden, "to cultivate it and to keep it." (Gen. 2: 8-9, 15).
At the same time, they were deprived of their properties of immortality, so that
creatures could not rebel against their creators [2, p. 79-94; 3, p. 18-31; 7, p. 85 et
al.]. Such beliefs have existed for thousands of years, i.e. in primitive and early

antagonistic class society. However, with the intensification of the contradictions of

the latter, due to the rise of social inequality, injustice and oppression of man by
man, in the consequence of not only the uncertainty of tomorrow, but of today,
because of learning different cultures and undermining the authority of the old
customs and beliefs, distress and suffering of people grew increasingly senseless
and intolerant.
It is in this era, when the world religions appeared; each in its own way they
interpreted the nonsense of severities of human existence as a necessary
precondition of postmortem existence in the afterlife, where all severities will
supposedly be eliminated and everyone will receive the appropriate punishment or
reward for their lifetime deeds. Philosophy has also made its contribution to the
development of these mindsets. At the same time as Buddhism, four centuries
before the rise of Christianity and a thousand years before Islam Socrates attempted
to rationally interpret death, particularly in Plato's dialogue "Phaedo", as
"detachment of the soul from the body" and its continued existence with the best or
worst fate respectively. [8, p. 335-364]. Such beliefs and doctrines gave them a
certain optimism (or more precisely pseudo-optimism) and demanded, first of all,
wishful thinking. It seemed that it was able to conquer death and to imagine endless
life not in real human existence but only in faith, in the imagination. By the way,
when it is said that Christ has trampled death by death nobody is eager to notice
that death is trampled by death rather than life as it should be.
The existence of a similar tendency can be stated in the field of scientific
cognition. Up until the 20th century the death paradigm the main component of
which is the belief in the inevitability of death and the impossibility of real personal
immortality had complete domination in science; at best, it could only be spoken
about the immortality not in the literal but only in allegorical sense, i.e. in deeds,
descendants, and their memory. The same issue dominated in materialistic
philosophy (including Marxism) and in natural sciences (P. Holbach, L. Feuerbach,
A. Herzen, I. Mechnikov, etc.). However, further development of philosophical
thought and natural sciences and success of social progress have spawned a new
death paradigm in which the central place was taken by the idea of reachability of
practical human immortality and real resurrection (K.E. Tsiolkovsky, biospace
explorers, A.M Gorky, V. F. Cuprievich, etc.).
Primary task of theoretical immortology is considered to be the opposition to the
death paradigm, which, like a nightmare, gravitates over the minds of those alive,
and the establishment of the deathless paradigm. To this end, special attention is
paid to the new philosophical ideas that represent non-traditional approach to the
problem of human death and immortality (life as a contradiction, historicity of
objective laws of nature and society, freedom as an opportunity to force these laws
to act consistently to achieve respective objectives and views of K.E. Tsiolkovsky
on the problem of perpetual motion, etc, on the basis of knowledge of these laws);
objective (primarily social) factors that require such an approach (the tendency of
significant ageing of population, the reduction of productive period of human life,
the threat of underpopulation of the planet, the need of space exploration, etc.);
natural science and technical and technological prerequisites of practical solution of

this problem (the development and use of youth studies - the science of how to save
and return youth to the population, the real possibility of cloning mammals and
humans, the regeneration of stem cells, cryonics, nanotechnology, synbiology, etc.);
moral, humanistic, legal, value (the impossibility of boredom of immortality as the
aftermath of indispensable newness in cognition and history, protection of rights of
people returning to life of people as an inherent value, etc.) and other aspects of it
[5, p. 125-248; 6, p. 355-382]. Immortohumanism and deathless humanism have
become an important component of immortology as consistently optimistic form of
modern humanism.
At the same time, it should not be left unmentioned that the solution of the
problem of a relentless opposition to the death paradigm in particular and above all
urgently requires an active publishing work. It mainly consists of the publication of
books, articles and various other publications. Meanwhile, this work is not only not
paid but, on the contrary, generally requires considerable personal financial
expenses (not only publication costs). Such situation can not but has a deterrent
effect on the opposing traditional death prejudices, which make it extremely
difficult to achieve a modern solution to the problem of practical human
immortality and real resurrection. By the way, we must also note that, for example,
participation in interviews for TV shows, magazines and newspapers, and in many
other forms of creative work which requires multiple hours of hard work also does
not usually involve any remuneration. It is reasonable to conclude that the problem
of the protection of intellectual property rights still exists and can not be solved
properly. In such conditions the financial and other support from entrepreneurs
could be very valuable and effective.
But it will be of the most significance and effectiveness with participation in the
development of specific ways and means of modern solution of the problem of
human death and immortality. The fruitful activity of the charitable foundation
Science for Life Extension organized and chaired by the businessman M.A. Batin
[9 et al.] can serve as a good example in this area of research. With its active
support an extremely important and interesting scientific conference "The genetics
of aging and longevity" attended by about two hundred scientists from all over the
world was held in Sochi in April 2014. This kind of efforts certainly deserves
approval, encouragement, and assistance.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the activities of the company OOO
KrioRus, the only one outside the United States which offers services for
cryopreservation of the whole human body or his brain. Under the contract my
spouse had employed the service of the abovementioned company, her brain is now
on cryopreservation; according to the agreement my brain will also be accepted for
cryopreservation after my death. My son has already expressed the same intention.
Of course, today there is no 100 percent guarantee of a safe recovery from the deep
anabiosis and preservation of personal characteristics but it is undoubtedly a real
chance that should not be missed because otherwise only the same hopelessness of
death is left. Meanwhile, as it has been already noted, numerous factual proofs of
successful animal cloning and the use of other methods provide strong evidence of
the real possibility of the victory over it.

It is clear that for a mere citizen the cryopreservation fee (about ten thousand
dollars) may seem to be racking, although to my knowledge the payment can be
made in parts and over a fairly long period of time, so personal belief and desire
remain pivotal. Of course it would be easier for entrepreneurs to join this problem
solution for their own benefit and the benefit of others. An important task in this
field is the creation of such firms in different regions of the country which requires
a certain financial investment. One of the reasons for the low involvement of
business in this area of activity is clearly the lack of awareness on the state of affairs
and opportunities which makes publications of this kind particularly relevant. As
long as the state is not properly involved in the solution of these problems this
remains the concern of various institutions of civil society.
References
1. Vishev I.V. Gerontologiya i filosofiya [Gerontology and Philosophy] //Filosofskie nauki.
1974. No. 1. p. 153155.
2. Vishev I.V. Problema lichnogo bessmertiya [Problem of Personal Immortality].
Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1990. 248 p.
3. Vishev I.V. Bessmertie cheloveka. Real'no li ono? [Human Immortality. Is it Real?]
Minsk: Belarus' Publ., 1990. 142 p.
4. Astakhova V.G. Vyzov smerti [Defiance to the Death]. Moscow: Moskovskii rabochii
Publ., 1970. 112 p.
5. Vishev I.V. Na puti k prakticheskomu bessmertiyu [On the Way to Practical Immortality].
Moscow: MZ-Press Publ., 2002. 324 p.
6. Vishev I.V. Problema real'nogo voskresheniya cheloveka: mirovozzrencheskii i estestvennonauchnyi aspekty [Problem of Real Human Resurrection: Aspects of World Outlook and
Natural Science] // Vestnik Rossiiskogo filosofskogo obshchestva. 2005. No. 2. 240 p.
7. Reder D.G. Mify i legendy drevnego Dvurech'ya [Myths and Legends of Ancient
Mesopotamia]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1965. 119 p.
8. Plato. Izbrannye dialogi [Selected Dialogs]. Moscow: Inostrannaya literatura Publ.,
1965. 442 p.
9. Batin M.A. Lekarstvo ot starosti [Cure from Anility]. Kostroma: 2007. 65 p.