Chapter 258: Response to the Crisis of Immortality

Mr. Lin Sen was invited to the Command Headquarters this time at Ye Chen's invitation, and Feng Zi was also invited for a clandestine meeting.

The three of them were leaders of the largest tri-polar powers in the Solar System, and their meeting touched a nerve with the Trisolarans, although the content of their discussions was certainly concealed within the Sophon Shielding Room, beyond the knowledge of the Trisolarans.

At the Command Headquarters, Mr. Lin Sen, Ye Chen, and Feng Zi were led by staff to the Sophon Shielding Room.

In today's Sophon Shielding Room, there was no need to wear protective suits, and communication was much more convenient.

Ye Chen dispensed with any pleasantries and directly entered the topic of the day:

"Mr. Lin Sen, Mr. Gao Feng, since the temporary resolution of the doomsday battle alleviated humanity's existential crisis, the development of human society has been advancing by leaps and bounds.

"However, beneath the prosperity of society lies a great crisis, the development of technology is driving social change, and at a deeper level, it is even reshaping social structures and value concepts.

"Inevitably, various contradictions and conflicts will emerge in this process, which are the necessary costs of social development.

"These problems can indeed all find solutions within our social history development model, and we can guide and alleviate these social conflicts through various means.

"But no matter what method is used, the social upheaval and the process of conflict resolution will both be extraordinarily protracted and difficult.

"The key is that various signs indicate that the Trisolarans are behind many of the issues that our society is currently facing.

"By doing this, they have exposed their intentions. The Sociological Advisory Group and the Military Advisory Group have predicted based on various information that the Trisolarans might launch another attack on us within the next 40 years.

"The Linger-Fitzroy telescope has also sent messages, analyzing various situations and deducing that the Trisolaran Second Fleet might have departed long before.

"However, no trace of them has been found in any cosmic dust cloud, the most likely possibility is that they will detour from another direction to our Solar System. If their warships can maintain 10% of the speed of light, it's predicted that they will also arrive near the Solar System in 40 years.

"We cannot avoid this battle, and there's no longer enough time afforded to us."

Ye Chen's advisory group's war predictions were much in line with Lin Sen's estimates, indicating that the era's humanity had a clear understanding of the situation. Even without Lin Sen, humanity may still be able to continue, at least without a two-dimensional ending.

Even the Trisolarans might have predicted that humanity would predict their time of attack, but they didn't care. This was a transparent strategy; humanity had no choice but to face it.

Lin Sen: "Indeed, while there might still be the potential for science and technology to advance at an accelerated pace, the change and development in social structure and value concepts cannot be hurried.

"Among these issues, the most troublesome is arguably the immortality dilemma. Immortality is now within reach, and even though everyone knows it's a trap set by the Trisolarans, nothing can stem humanity's desire for it.

"Many regard the Dark Forest as the protective shell of human civilization, thinking it is real without realizing that if humanity cannot break free from this shell, our civilization will also be doomed to be enclosed and perish within it.

"A civilization must possess its own essence, which is not technology or resources but the ways and wisdom to solve these problems, reflecting the deep cultural accumulation and ways of thinking.

"The wisdom and maturity of a civilization are also reflected in the methods and strategies used to solve problems—facing them courageously, actively exploring, and not abandoning action because of the potential outcomes."

If humanity wishes to experience renewal, it must break free from this shell of Dark Forest protection. This is the key to humanity's transformation from chrysalis to butterfly.

The doomsday battle tested not only humanity's will to survive but also showcased our confidence and might. Humans of this era no longer fear the Dark Forest as they did in the original timeline.

Mr. Lin Sen also roughly understood the purpose of Ye Chen's meeting today. Ye Chen needed the full cooperation of the Wallfacers and Feng Zi to transform the powers of the Solar System, which was also what Mr. Lin Sen desired. Naturally, Lin Sen expressed his support, but he also wanted to see Ye Chen's response strategies.

Ye Chen: "Regarding the crisis of immortality, our approach has two directions.

"One is to maintain a temporary societal status quo, neither supporting nor outlawing the Long-Livers, allowing society to ferment naturally.

"According to the sociohistorical model of evolution, the current peace will last at most 20 years, and the contradictions among various social classes will erupt on a large scale. There are many reasons for the outbreak, but the fundamental reason is that the mentalities of the Long-Livers have become fundamentally different from ours. They are too cautious with their own lives and properties, while at the same time, they continuously plunder social resources."

"The current societal structure is still not adapted to the existence of the Long-Livers. Furthermore, with the certain influence of the Trisolarans, we predict that such contradictions could erupt in about 10 years."

"Human society may then undergo a turbulent period lasting 50 to 100 years before stabilizing."

"Second, is to undergo civilizational differentiation, which can also be called civilizational backup, dividing humanity again into two camps, the Long-Livers' Camp and the Naturals' Camp."

"The Long-Livers' Camp must be restricted in their reproduction. This is the price they must pay for achieving longevity and what best aligns with everyone's wishes."

"The Naturals' Camp will maintain the current social structure. Even though their lifespans are much shorter than the Long-Livers, they will lead fulfilled lives. Not everyone aspires to join the Long-Livers' Camp."

"Both camps will live in separate regions, not interfering with each other, but there will still be certain conflicts. Although initially, the majority will be from the Long-Livers' Camp, over time the contradictions within the Long-Livers will inevitably erupt, leading to internal instability."

"According to the sociohistorical model, after about a century of development, the Long-Livers' Camp will inevitably lose in the struggle."

"As for the Long-Livers, contrary to what we might imagine, the sociohistorical model suggests that Long-Livers will discard the familial bond and with the rise in the status of women during this era, family ties will break down."

"Long-Livers will also oppose reproduction, valuing themselves above all else. Children will no longer be seen as a continuation of themselves but as a burden."

"The greatest enemy of the Long-Livers is not the Naturals, but nihilism. Long-Livers have an abundance of time, but most may not focus on academic research or hard work."

"They will cause society to become dull and lacking in vitality and innovative spirit. Over time, the Long-Livers may gradually fall into a state of mental emptiness and confusion."

"Ultimately, the Long-Livers' Camp will also be eradicated by the Naturals, a long and cruel process."

"In the future, humanity will also find a balance between the Long-Livers and Naturals, greatly extending human lifespans. Let's temporarily call them 'Neohumans.' Neohumans will also establish a new social structure and concepts."

"But we cannot speculate what this new social structure and concepts will be. They must be explored over a long period, and the most optimistic estimate is that it will take over two centuries."

Lin Sen: "That is to say, if we do not implement civilizational differentiation and allow society to ferment naturally, maintaining the current peace, human society will erupt in large-scale contradictions in the near future. These contradictions will cause chaos throughout the Solar System."

"This will severely hinder our preparations for war. The Trisolarans will certainly go all out, and even with Dark Forest Deterrence, it is hard to guarantee that we can withstand their attacks."

"If we implement civilizational differentiation, we would first divide the living areas. The Long-Livers would have their own administrative system, and the Naturals would maintain the current system of knowledge."

"We would also retain a portion of civilization's essence, while at the same time, slow down the contradictions within the Long-Livers' Camp. The Long-Livers will also face an 'external enemy,' though the competition at the beginning will be relatively mild."

"The competition between Long-Livers and Naturals is also the integration of different social systems. Ultimately, they will stabilize in an ideal state through mutual influence."

"This plan will make society's transition to the era of Neohumans more gradual."

Ye Chen's plan for civilizational differentiation nearly mirrors the civilizational backup plan executed by Lin Sen at the initial Moon Base.

PS: Some people believe that immortality is beneficial to humanity, but I personally doubt it. For one, we cannot expect the Long-Livers to maintain our current mentality; they are entirely Neohumans.

What the Long-Livers most desire might be a "guaranteed job for life," not valuing family and offspring, and exhibiting a pathological tendency to plunder social resources. But with their long lives, they will lose interest in most things in society.

Even scientists, with their extended lifespans, would find it difficult to always retain creativity; they too would become weary.

A society of Long-Livers enduring in the long term would be stagnant, and contradictions would still be rife in every corner, waiting for a spark to set off the explosion of these contradictions."

The only salvation for a society of Long-Livers is the very contradictions within it. If even these contradictions are absent, then the society of Long-Livers is truly dead.