You get to come back as someone famous: who would you pick?

[Polerius]

Assume that, through technology or other means, you could experience life as someone famous: someone who has already died or is still alive.

Rules:

• You will be just an observer, that is, you can only experience what they are experiencing and can't change their actions (because that would change history)
• You will experience their whole life, from birth to death, in real time (i.e. it will take you 70 years to experience 70 years of their life)
• If the person is still alive, you will experience their life all the way till the end, which is a bit of a risk, since you don't know what happens to them between now and their death.
• Once the experiment has started, you can't opt out or cut it short.
• The person can be anyone who has lived or is still alive (e.g. Einstein, Napoleon, Michael Jordan, Steve Jobs, Mother Theresa, you, etc)

Questions

1. Would you sign up for such a thing?
2. Who would you sign up as?
3. Would anyone sign up to re-live their own life from the beginning (under the rules mentioned above)?

[Rhythmdvl]

Siddhārtha Gautama

[Lynn Bodoni]

I think that Leonardo da Vinci or Benjamin Franklin would be my picks. I wouldn't want to experience my own life again, it was painful enough the first time around, thanks. Now, if I could go back and CHANGE some of my decisions and actions, yeah.

[Reply]

Eh? 70 years trapped in someone else's body, unable to move or talk or act on my own free will? I'd probably be some aborted baby. Or Ron Jeremy.

[Peremensoe]

That sounds like a horrifying prison.

[Quartz]

Not only no but hell no! Aside from being trapped, it's happening in real time, so my own body is aging.

[Polerius]

Originally Posted by Quartz

Not only no but hell no! Aside from being trapped, it's happening in real time, so my own body is aging.

Assume you have no body to worry about aging, e.g. just before your body dies, you upload your consciousness to the "cloud". Once there, you quickly get bored and decide you want to experience the life cycle again, only this time, you decide which one you experience. Once you decide, the life is experienced via some sort of simulation.

I can see the feeling of being trapped, but, if we give the hypothetical experiencer the ability to make decisions, history will be changed, and then you won't be experiencing exactly the life you signed up for.

How about this: While under this experience, you make decisions on what to do, out of your own "free will", so you don't feel trapped, it's just that the system alters your faculties/abilities so that you end up making the same decisions as your original target.

[BigT]

I would see the problem that most people had at least some days in their life that they felt really bad, whether it would seem that bad to you or not. But since you are experiencing it from their point of view, that would be torturous.

My own problem is that it's a very long commitment unless I pick someone's life that was short.

[Polerius]

Originally Posted by BigT

I would see the problem that most people had at least some days in their life that they felt really bad, whether it would seem that bad to you or not. But since you are experiencing it from their point of view, that would be torturous.

My own problem is that it's a very long commitment unless I pick someone's life that was short.

If I'm understanding some people's responses: given the ups and downs of life, the bad outweigh the good, so that no one's life is worth experiencing?

Surely people are more upbeat about life, right?

If the good outweigh the bad in your life, and you consider life to be worth living, why does this change when you have the choice to experience someone else's life? [If, while experiencing this other life, you had no recollection of who you really are and really thought you were your target, would that change your answer?]

[Polerius]

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

I wouldn't want to experience my own life again, it was painful enough the first time around, thanks.

This reminds me of something a comedian said: "My life is like a B-movie. I'm curious to see how it ends, but I wouldn't want to see it again"

[Nava]

But one of the things that make my life worth living is the choices I made... it's as if what you had originally in mind was "being able to view life through that person's eyes" but you've later chanegd it to "being that person". Doesn't compute, which is which? If I am someone else, then I am not me; if I am watching someone's life through their eyes, do I have to put up with the parts where they get potty trained, have toothaches or get into fights with their siblings? If I am someone else and making the decisions they made then that's not me, where have I gone? Me being me, if I had been born Maria Sklodowska it's highly unlikely I would ever have become Marie Curie; either I'm watching or I'm in charge, but it can't be "both at the same time".

[multimediac17]

Madonna or Kate Bush

[MegaBee]

Teddy Roosevelt

[MLS]

Joanne Woodward. Because she got to marry Paul Newman. Rawwr..

[faithfool]

Sheryl Cooper because she's married to Alice and gorgeous.

[Leaffan]

Originally Posted by faithfool

Sheryl Cooper because she's married to Alice and gorgeous.

Alice Cooper. For the same reason. And the fact that he's a much better golfer than I.

[Fried Dough Ho]

Julia Child.

The great love she had with Paul, the world she got to travel, the foods she got to taste, and the true joie de vivre in which she experienced her life.

[panache45]

Originally Posted by Polerius

[If, while experiencing this other life, you had no recollection of who you really are and really thought you were your target, would that change your answer?]

Then it's indistinguishable from the life we're living right now. So how do I know that I'm "really" the person I think I am?

[Reply]

Originally Posted by Polerius

How about this: While under this experience, you make decisions on what to do, out of your own "free will", so you don't feel trapped, it's just that the system alters your faculties/abilities so that you end up making the same decisions as your original target.

Originally Posted by Polerius

If the good outweigh the bad in your life, and you consider life to be worth living, why does this change when you have the choice to experience someone else's life? [If, while experiencing this other life, you had no recollection of who you really are and really thought you were your target, would that change your answer?]

You either remember your prior consciousness or you don't. You can't have it both ways.

If I were somebody else without any memory of having been me, well, this question is moot since I would essentially cease to be at that point and the other person would just be re-living their life, unbeknownst to the now-nonexistent me.

On the other hand, if I still maintained my own consciousness, I don't see any way out of that trapped feeling. Even in your hypothetical example, the universe would feel as though it were conspiring against my every thought and action. "No, no, don't go there... phew, ok, I'm not going there... wait, why am I there anyway?!"

I'd much rather be able to experience, vicariously, these people's lives if it didn't have to be whole damned thing and just the fun bits and pieces.

God, just the thought of living through somebody else's infancy is horrifying. The constant crying, that packed-diaper feeling... and being utterly unable to change the outcome or even walk away from it?

[Kobal2]

Keith Moon.

ETA : oh, and emphatic no on reliving my own life. Just the once sucked enough, thankee kindly.

[faithfool]

Leaffan, I guess we're going to be married to each other then. Bring on the wedding bells!

[Rachellelogram]

I have this uhm, problem. Where watching the humiliation or embarassment of others causes me to be so embarrassed for them that I have to turn it off or get out of the area. This is why I can't enjoy Steve Carrell or any other perpetrators of the humcom (humiliation comedy) genre. And also why I cannot go grocery shopping with my mother, who embarasses herself constantly by talking to strangers about the most stupid, inane shit.

So I would never sign up for this, because the span from 10 to 18 is basically 8 straight years of daily embarassment for most people. Even very gorgeous and successful people.

[Leaffan]

Originally Posted by faithfool

Leaffan, I guess we're going to be married to each other then. Bring on the wedding bells!

OK. But you better like Alice's music. And you must like golf!

Welcome to my tee-time, yeah-eah-eah-eah........

[panache45]

I want to be whoever is sleeping with Adrien Brody.

[Polerius]

Originally Posted by Reply

You either remember your prior consciousness or you don't. You can't have it both ways.

If I were somebody else without any memory of having been me, well, this question is moot since I would essentially cease to be at that point and the other person would just be re-living their life, unbeknownst to the now-nonexistent me.

On the other hand, if I still maintained my own consciousness, I don't see any way out of that trapped feeling. Even in your hypothetical example, the universe would feel as though it were conspiring against my every thought and action. "No, no, don't go there... phew, ok, I'm not going there... wait, why am I there anyway?!"

Think of dreams. During most dreams, you don't know who you are IRL, you have several experiences (good or bad) and then you wake up. Once you wake up, you remember the dream and how it felt to experience it.

So, consider this hypothetical similar. During the experience, you don't know who you are IRL, but once it is over, you remember the whole thing, you remember experiencing life as X.

[Polerius]

FTR, one of the people I'd like to experience being is Steve Jobs. Starts out as a young charismatic guy who founds a great new company intent on changing the tech landscape, then experiences a great fall, gets fired, starts another company that doesn't do well, and then comes back to his first company, and through a series of hit products makes it the most valuable company in the world*

This must be the comeback story of the last quarter century at least.

To experience the highs of the first launch of Apple and the first Macs, then the lows of being fired and failing at Next, and then the tremendous highs of the comeback success at Apple, that would be an amazing experience.

Of course, I don't know how his personal life is, and he has been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, so there is a risk that the whole experience will be bad, but at least his public story is an amazing one.


* Almost: As of now only Exxon has a higher market cap than Apple, but this is expected to change soon.

[Turble]

"There has never been an intelligent person of the age of sixty who would consent to live his life over again. His or anyone else's."
- Mark Twain - Letters from the Earth

I'm over sixty and I agree.

[Polerius]

Originally Posted by Turble

"There has never been an intelligent person of the age of sixty who would consent to live his life over again. His or anyone else's."
- Mark Twain - Letters from the Earth

I'm over sixty and I agree.

This is getting off-topic, but some of the responses in this thread are at odds with the responses to threads started by people who advocate not having kids because, overall, life is not worth it, so we shouldn't burden kids by bringing them into this life, since, overall it sucks.

In those types of threads, people almost unanimously agree that life overall is worth it, even with its ups and downs, so yeah, go ahead and have kids.

In this thread, many people are saying that life overall is not a worthwhile experience, and they wouldn't want to experience it; neither their own or another's

This may merit its own thread, but how do you reconcile those two opinions?

For a more on-topic question, to stick to the main question in the OP and not get side-tracked by questions of whether life is worth living or re-living:

Assume that you are forced to pick a life to re-live. In that case, which one would you pick?

[drastic_quench]

I'd likely go with a classic rock star. I could get the same level of debauchery as some wealthy ancient Roman, but I'd also get to experience grand performances in front of insanely large, adoring audiences. And the joy of creating kick-ass music. Plus, I'd get to schmooze and jam with classic rock greats. Also, I'm knowledgeable enough to enjoy myself in that era. I couldn't appreciate ancient Rome in that same way - plus I don't know the language, though I assume that's a concern that's hand-waived.

How much of the other's consciousness would I share. Am I privy to their thoughts, impulses, and emotions? Do I feel like they feel, to paraphrase Frampton? If I was in the head of a homosexual would I enjoy gay sex as much as they did? Otherwise, that would not be fun. Similarly, if I jump into the head of a woman, do I enjoy straight sex like she would? So many questions.

[luv2draw]

I'm torn between 2, with similar lives:

1. Georgia O'Keeffe
2. Margaret Mee, a botanical artist who traveled to the Amazon many times to document plants of that region.

Both died in the 80s after living long, productive, artistic lives.

[drastic_quench]

Just in case fictional characters count, The Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis ad campaign.

[Munch]

Originally Posted by Polerius

This may merit its own thread, but how do you reconcile those two opinions?

Because "living a life" means being able to make decisions, for good or for bad. Your proposal isn't "living a life", it's "being trapped in a 70 hour movie that I can't escape, make decisions, or even offer advice". It sounds torturous.

[kelly5078]

Originally Posted by Rhythmdvl

Siddhārtha Gautama

Can't top this one. But if I'm not going to be enlightened, I think being Steven Speilberg would be a hoot. Or J.K. Rowling, if I wanted to come back as a woman.

[fuzzypickles]

Kim Jong-il.


C'mon, you gotta admit his life must be pretty posh.

[Polerius]

Originally Posted by Munch

Because "living a life" means being able to make decisions, for good or for bad. Your proposal isn't "living a life", it's "being trapped in a 70 hour movie that I can't escape, make decisions, or even offer advice". It sounds torturous.

Do you find all your dreams to be torturous?

In dreams we often don't remember who we are IRL, and also in dreams our thought processes are very different than when we are awake, so it's hard to argue that you are experiencing the dream as your IRL self, you are experiencing it as the character in your dream and making decisions like he/she does.

My proposal would be very similar to that. You will be making decisions, it's just that, like in your dreams, the decisions you will make are different than what your IRL self would have made.

[kittenblue]

Betty White. She's had an interesting and successful life without any major drama, she's still in good health, she's got a wicked sense of humor and is well-loved and respected. She seems to really enjoy every moment of her life. So since Julia Child was taken,she gets my vote.

[Munch]

Originally Posted by Polerius

In dreams we often don't remember who we are IRL, and also in dreams our thought processes are very different than when we are awake, so it's hard to argue that you are experiencing the dream as your IRL self, you are experiencing it as the character in your dream and making decisions like he/she does.

1. In dreams, people tend to make their own decisions.
2. Even if we don't, we're generally unaware of being in a dream.

You will be making decisions, it's just that, like in your dreams, the decisions you will make are different than what your IRL self would have made.

No, here's what you said:

While under this experience, you make decisions on what to do, out of your own "free will", so you don't feel trapped, it's just that the system alters your faculties/abilities so that you end up making the same decisions as your original target.

In no way is that making your own decisions or any semblance of free will that I'm familiar with. As such, your proposal sounds pretty horrible - I opt out.

[StusBlues]

Originally Posted by drastic_quench

Just in case fictional characters count, The Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis ad campaign.

Seconded.

Stay thirsty, my friends.

[zoog]

My first thought was some big-time rock star - Paul McCartney came to mind. But then I thought a bit more about it, and had one of those moments:

Hugh Hefner.

[Fretful Porpentine]

Douglas Adams. I'd get to travel to some interesting places, hang out with some cool people, and die more or less instantly. Plus, I don't think his face is so well-known that people would instantly recognize him by sight, which would be one of the more annoying parts of being famous.

[Boyo Jim]

Wasn't it Wilt Chamberlain who screwed 10,000 women?

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by Boyo Jim

Wasn't it Wilt Chamberlain who screwed 10,000 women?

Which famous one did you want to be?

[Agent Foxtrot]

Toss-up between Leonidas I and JFK.

[Jenaroph]

John Malkovich.





c'mon. It took months for someone to say it?

[Quintas]

Augustus Ceasar

[Gianina]

If I could come back as someone famous it would have to be mariyn Monroe
She was not only georgous but very dedicated to her life and funny

Thanks gianina

[Rhythmdvl]

You're welcome, Gianina.



For those noting dates, it would be apropos to suggest coming back as Sweet Zombie Jesus.

[WordMan]

Between when this thread was started and today, I bet some folks would change their minds if they had picked Joe Paterno

[Iggy]

Norman Borlaug

[HoneyBadgerDC]

Walt Disney ( I hate Disney Land but admire the man immensely)