An absolute invulnerability?

[Moreno]

Can we imagine at least theoretically and scientifically a conscious creature which is completely invulnerable to any kind of harm or destruction? That no one and ever would be able inflicting a pain or cause a suffering to such a creature? Isn't possibility to become such a creature the ultimate aim of human existence and scientific exploration?

Edited October 18, 2017 by Moreno

[Phi for All]

No. That sounds like a complete waste of time and energy. Whatever protects me from a nuclear detonation restricts me from moving. I'm reminded of the little kid who can't play in the snow because he's got too many clothes on. It sounds too extreme.

Evolution doesn't have an ultimate aim for any species, and I don't see how making ourselves invulnerable to any harm or even pain is a worthy goal. We do expend effort protecting ourselves against many scenarios, but we usually can pick and choose, and rarely need them all. As we leave the planet (which I think is more of an ultimate goal for humans), it becomes necessary to protect ourselves from more energies and situations, but I'm not sure we'll ever have technology that can protect us from every extreme environment, lethal energy burst, and kinetic disruption. 

[swansont]

Plus the energy it would take to make and maintain defenses would out-strip the amount of energy a creature could take in. In engineering terms, out bodies have certain safety margins and redundancies. You have two of a lot of organs but could survive with one. But to have three or more is not necessary to perpetuate the species, even if it might increase the survivability of an individual.

You run into the problem of conflicting requirements — you can't optimize every variable in a complex system. A creature that's added an exoskeleton,  multiple extra organs and whatever else you want, won't move around like the original creature would. By attempting to make it more viable in one way, you make it less viable in another.

[Phi for All]

There's nothing in nature that comes anywhere near the concept of limitlessness. We can't be sure space (or anything else) is infinite, or that a black hole is infinitely dense. Imposing absolutes normally leads to trouble. Invulnerability is like omnipotence; you're straying into the supernatural when you start thinking in those terms, and you can't use science on the supernatural.