It's wild to think that aging is something that needs to be cured, and isn't a part of the natural human experience. I'm so tired of people trying to play the role of God, as well as people that cheer these sorts of things on.
replyI hope you keep these horrible thoughts to yourself if you ever walk through a paediatric hospital
replyWhat does a pediatric hospital have to do with aging...?
replyThinking that aging is a natural part of the human experience is a horrible thought? Please explain...
replyChildhood deaths and fatal diseases are also natural parts but that doesn't make them desirable to everyday humans. But with new advances, people might have the ability to CHOOSE in future.
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replyMost people want more life. For most people it's also the most terrifying part of "the natural human experience".
replyIf you're happy to die, why be bothered by others' trying to live longer? You won't be around. And assuming people can finance it themselves, is it really a problem for society?
Yes, I think it's a problem for society. Death in old age frees up social, economic, physical, and political resources for the next generation of the living. If the rich and powerful escape death, because after all they will the people with the resources to do so, society will lose the adaptability and natural change that comes from new generations taking the reins.
replyThere are cultures where dying isn't feared like it is in Christian based societies. It's considered a natural progression and part of nature.
replyI'd also say people may want more life for themselves, but what does that mean at scale, forever?
Which cultures are those?
replyThere is a lot of space in, you know, space, for people who live long enough to travel.
replyI assume you mean that dying is the most terrifying pat of the natural human experience. Also, I'm not sure why you infer that me thinking death is a natural part of life, means that I'm happy or eager to die.
replyThere are many reasons that people living forever would be a problem for society, the most obvious being an ever-increasing population.
Fertility rates are below replacement, which means that population sizes are convergent. A decreasing population is a more likely future scenario for many western countries, even if human lifespan was indefinite.
replyFertility rates are currently below replacement, there's no good reason to imagine they will always be that way, particularly after global population numbers peak and fall to, say, half or a quarter of their peak.
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reply> the most obvious being an ever-increasing population
replyBecause living longer is a huge drain on resources that could be better spent on other things. End of life care is expensive and rarely results in a "good" life for the the life being extended.
replyThe way we will actually all live substantially longer is by health extension, not by extending life while suffering from decrepitude.
replySo I think curing means basically opt in death or something like that. Right now extended life is bad because the person isn't in his prime but curing aging is basically gonna keep him in his prime. This might be what they meant.
replyMost of the kids in history died before age 5.
replyChild mortality is very low now compared to the past, thanks to the modern medicine and technology.
I am glad humanity "played God", and reduced this unnecessary child suffering.
They didn't die of senescence.
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replyI dont think it will happen. AI models are kneecapped. Only a tiny tiny tiny fraction of people are on the list of even being able to use these tools for such things.
replyEven in a world where these models are heavily restricted, surely the likes of cancer researchers will be among those who have access
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