--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were other thinkers, Bowman also…" description: "\"“There were other thinkers, Bowman also found, who held even more exotic views. They did not believe that really advanced beings would possess organic ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/arthur-c-clarke-640_immortality_there-were-other-thinkers-bowman-also-fo_2976021.jpg" --- # There were other thinkers, Bowman also found, who held… ![“There were other thinkers, Bowman also found, who held even more exotic views. They did not believe that really advanced beings would possess organic bodies at all. Sooner or later, as their scientific knowledge progressed, they would get rid of the fragile, disease-and-accident-prone homes that…” quote by Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/arthur-c-clarke-640_immortality_there-were-other-thinkers-bowman-also-fo_2976021.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/arthur-c-clarke-640_immortality_there-were-other-thinkers-bowman-also-fo_2976021.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/arthur-c-clarke-640_immortality_there-were-other-thinkers-bowman-also-fo_2976021.jpg) > ““There were other thinkers, Bowman also found, who held even more exotic views. They did not believe that really advanced beings would possess organic bodies at all. Sooner or later, as their scientific knowledge progressed, they would get rid of the fragile, disease-and-accident-prone homes that Nature had given them, and which doomed them to inevitable death. They would replace their natural bodies as they wore out—or perhaps even before that—by constructions of metal and plastic, and would thus achieve immortality.”” [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advanced beings may abandon organic bodies for synthetic ones, achieving immortality by replacing fragile flesh with durable constructs. **In simple terms:** Future beings might become immortal by swapping bodies for machines. Key Takeaway Consider how technology could extend life beyond biology. Themes transhumanism immortality technology philosophy Mood wonder cautious optimistic Type speculative philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - space exploration - medical research - AI development - ethical debates - long‑term survival Key Concepts posthumanism cybernetics existential risk Questions to Reflect On - What ethical dilemmas arise from body replacement? - How would identity persist after multiple transfers? A Different Perspective The concept assumes unlimited resources and societal consensus on abandoning humanity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advanced Beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advanced-beings-4282340/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Natural Bodies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-bodies-2068527/) [Organic Bodies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organic-bodies-495430/) [Scientific knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-knowledge/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) [Thinkers Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinkers-bowman-4606780/) ## Related quotes > [One can imagine a time when men who still inhabit organic bodies are regarded with pity by those who have passed on to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/one-can-imagine-a-time-when-men-who-still-inhabit-organic-bodies-are/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Post-human intelligence will develop hypercomputers with the processing power to simulate living things - even entire worlds. Perhaps advanced beings could use hypercomputers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/post-human-intelligence-will-develop-hypercomputers-with-the/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The History of Evolution is the real source of light in the investigation of organic bodies. It is applicable at every step, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ernst-von-baer/the-history-of-evolution-is-the-real-source-of-light-in-the/) [Karl Ernst von Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ernst-von-baer/) > [It is, however, an argument of no weight to say that natural bodies are first generated or compounded out of those things into which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-harvey/it-is-however-an-argument-of-no-weight-to-say-that-natural-bodies-are/) [William Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-harvey/) > [Nothing can be plainer, than that the motions, changes, decays, and dissolutions, which we hourly see befall natural bodies (and which is what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-berkeley/nothing-can-be-plainer-than-that-the-motions-changes-decays-and/) [George Berkeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-berkeley/) > [Natural bodies are divided into three kingdomes of nature: viz. the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms. Minerals grow, Plants grow and live, Animals grow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-linnaeus/natural-bodies-are-divided-into-three-kingdomes-of-nature-viz-the/) [Carl Linnaeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-linnaeus/) > [Our body is part of nature. Our creations, they're not natural. We build things that aren't natural, but our bodies, they're part of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/our-body-is-part-of-nature-our-creations-they-re-not-natural-we-build/) [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/) > [“As I see it the world is undoubtedly in need of a new religion, and that religion must be founded on humanist principles. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/as-i-see-it-the-world-is-undoubtedly-in-need-of-a-new-religion-and/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [The fact that these scientific theories have a fine track record of successful prediction and explanation speaks for itself. (Which is not to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories-have-a-fine-track-record-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [“Science can now help us to understand ourselves in this way by giving factual information about brain structure and function, and how the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/science-can-now-help-us-to-understand-ourselves-in-this-way-by-giving/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“To the point: A woman who wants to terminate her pregnancy has to make her decision in the context of a culture that shames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-parker/to-the-point-a-woman-who-wants-to-terminate-her-pregnancy-has-to-make/) [Willie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-parker/) > [“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-methodology-is-the-product-of/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“If my duty to my parents is a superstition, then so is my duty to posterity. If justice is a superstition, then so is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-my-duty-to-my-parents-is-a-superstition-then-so-is-my-duty-to/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Science is not marginal. Like art, it is a universal possession of humanity, and scientific knowledge has become a vital part of our species'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/science-is-not-marginal-like-art-it-is-a-universal-possession-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Arthur C. Clarke > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I am unable to distinguish clearly between your religious ceremonies and apparently identical behavior at the sporting and cultural functions you have transmitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-am-unable-to-distinguish-clearly-between-your-religious-ceremonies/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-don-t-believe-in-astrology-i-m-a-sagittarius-and-we-re-skeptical/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [You can't have it both ways. You can't have both free will and a benevolent higher power who protects you from yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-you-can-t-have-both-free-will-and-a/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/astronomy-as-nothing-else-can-do-teaches-men-humility/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Nowhere in space will we rest our eyes upon the familiar shapes of trees and plants, or any of the animals that share our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/nowhere-in-space-will-we-rest-our-eyes-upon-the-familiar-shapes-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“The universe is full of energy, but much of it is at equilibrium. At equilibrium no energy can flow, and therefore it cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-universe-is-full-of-energy-but-much-of-it-is-at-equilibrium-at/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Here the trees surrounded them with an invisible, anechoic blanket, so that every word seemed sucked into silence the moment it was uttered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/here-the-trees-surrounded-them-with-an-invisible-anechoic-blanket-so/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“I’m a scientific expert; that means I know nothing about absolutely everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-m-a-scientific-expert-that-means-i-know-nothing-about-absolutely/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [There were some things that only time could cure. Evil men could be destroyed, but nothing could be done with good men who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/there-were-some-things-that-only-time-could-cure-evil-men-could-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Pure coincidence, of course, but a sensible man makes coincidences work for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/pure-coincidence-of-course-but-a-sensible-man-makes-coincidences-work/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [They will have time enough, in those endless aeons, to attempt all things, and to gather all knowledge no Gods imagined by our minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/they-will-have-time-enough-in-those-endless-aeons-to-attempt-all/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“One thing seems certain. Our galaxy is now in the brief springtime of its life—a springtime made glorious by such brilliant blue-white stars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/one-thing-seems-certain-our-galaxy-is-now-in-the-brief-springtime-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Now I understand,” said the last man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/now-i-understand-said-the-last-man/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) [Explore all 415 Arthur C. Clarke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## More Immortality quotes > [“If you seek success, serve others. If you seek immortality give. Serve or give your time, skills, talent or gift. In the end, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-uchendu/if-you-seek-success-serve-others-if-you-seek-immortality-give-serve/) [Val Uchendu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-uchendu/) > [Our hope of immortality does not come from any religions, but nearly all religions come from that hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/our-hope-of-immortality-does-not-come-from-any-religions-but-nearly/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“Human unhappiness is evidence of our immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/human-unhappiness-is-evidence-of-our-immortality/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [When we live our lives not for vanity, but for the sake of God and the betterment of humanity, that's what gives us immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/when-we-live-our-lives-not-for-vanity-but-for-the-sake-of-god-and-the/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [“What is the most amazing thing about the world? 'Every day creatures die, yet the rest live as if immortal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/what-is-the-most-amazing-thing-about-the-world-every-day-creatures/) [Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/) > [“I was made to rule the darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-hachton/i-was-made-to-rule-the-darkness/) [Rae Hachton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-hachton/) > [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [With modern medicine prolonging life no matter what condition you're in, it seems like we're working towards immortality by science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-pullman/with-modern-medicine-prolonging-life-no-matter-what-condition-you-re/) [Bill Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-pullman/) > [Write: write letters. Keep journals. Besides your children, there is no surer way of achieving immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/write-write-letters-keep-journals-besides-your-children-there-is-no/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [Masonry inculcates faith in immortality as indispensable to moral living and urges its members to qualify for eternal life by the practice of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-hammond/masonry-inculcates-faith-in-immortality-as-indispensable-to-moral/) [William E Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-hammond/) > [Inequalities of Fate very curious. Should like, on this account, to believe in Reincarnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-delafield/inequalities-of-fate-very-curious-should-like-on-this-account-to/) [E. M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield/) > [There is surely no more unselfish person than the anthologist. For while all we others are striving to ensure our own immortality with eagerness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-surely-no-more-unselfish-person-than-the-anthologist-for/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [“Eschew evil and it's machinations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/eschew-evil-and-it-s-machinations/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [Mathematics is the surest way to immortality. If you make a big discovery in mathematics, you will be remembered after everyone else will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-erdos/mathematics-is-the-surest-way-to-immortality-if-you-make-a-big/) [Paul Erdos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-erdos/) > [And this is the only immortality you and i may share, my Lolita.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/and-this-is-the-only-immortality-you-and-i-may-share-my-lolita/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) [Browse all 1,564 Immortality quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There were other thinkers, Bowman also found, who held even more exotic views. They did not believe that really advanced beings would possess organic bodies at all. 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