Quick Guide to Immortality, Transhumanism, etc.
     There is a wide continuum of beliefs, both positive and negative, regarding immortality, transhumanism and the issues integral to our discussions here in these pages.  Here is a quick guide to the major viewpoints that people tend to gravitate toward.  These are the simple groupings used as a quick and simple classification.  Indiviudals may often overlap into different groups depending upon their specific belief system as well as their level of dogmatism or openenss to new ideas.  Some may object or place slightly different definitions on each group; but, this is a nice quick breakdown of the current climate of discussion as well as groupings which fit most of the players involved in the current debates.

Transhumanists
     believe that human beings should strive and will become more than human over the next several decades / centuries. Immortality is only one possible component of Transhumanism.  All human improvement is seen as good even if human beings become unrecognizable as such in the future.

Immortalists
     believe that human beings will be able to and should increase life expectancy in the near future to virtually live forever.  Immortalists believe that there will be solutions to not only the medical problems of disease and death; but, also solutions accidental and traumatic deaths as well.

Life Extensionists
     believe in extending human life as far as is physically possible given current technology; and, even encourage developing new technology to aid in life extension. They however do not desire unlimited lifespan or necessarily see this as beneficial.  Unlike Immortalists, Life Extensionists are typically focused on disease and aging based issues and mostly feel there will never be a solution for traumatic injuries resulting in death.

Rational Humanists
     believe that human beings are an organism like all other organisms on this planet. They may believe in some life extension technology; but, their motivation is more personal and not based on any philosophical stance.

Ideological Creationists
     believe that human beings are a creation of God. Most often they will be against extreme life extension technologies taking the stance that God created us as intended and that we should not interfere with his original design.