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Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

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Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#51
post #27

Anyone don't want longevity for humans? I think death is a beautiful thing and for a lot of us including myself life has been really tough at times. The fact that there is an equalizer in death makes life comforting at times.

I don't want it (extreme longevity) for myself. If others want it for themselves, I don't care about that either.

One thing that I find puzzling (besides the hubris and entitlement by people who think they should stick around for an extra 50y as if anyone needed them) is that while it may be technically possible for the richest 0.1%, the rest of longevity fans simply don't have the money to sustain themselves longer. What's the point? Nobody needs you, no, you are not special, and you couldn't survive even if the government introduced UBI. So give up already, unless you have $10 mil or more.

Today old people die and money gets inherited by people who (economically, and on average) aren't sunk investments - they can still work, innovate and so on. Because of that the money is usually invested, rather than thrown away on keeping old lizards last an extra 50 years. I don't care what people do with their money but I'd rather leave some of my money to family or worthy non-profits (I don't mean Mozilla).

Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#52
post #27

Anyone don't want longevity for humans? I think death is a beautiful thing and for a lot of us including myself life has been really tough at times. The fact that there is an equalizer in death makes life comforting at times.

This should be an individual decision.

Nobody asked about that and the question did not imply that shouldn't be the case either.

Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#53
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think people who feel this way should be perfectly free to, but not everyone does, and they should be free not to die as per their preference. I think of it as, if my loved one (or me) were in the hospital with a fatal disease, but there was a cure, I would want the cure. I can't really see myself saying "Yeah, but death is so beautiful..." I see aging the same way, as another fatal disease and I'd cure it if I cou…

I don’t know, I think one of the kindest things an older generation does is die off and let the younger generations take the reigns.

I don't feel that way at all. I don't need my parents to die to do my own thing. They can keep and continue to grow their stuff and I can build mine. Indeed, I'd be much happier in this case, I don't want to take their reins, I want to live in a world with them and share in life and experiences together, while having my own reins to my own wagon.

Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#54
post #27

Anyone don't want longevity for humans? I think death is a beautiful thing and for a lot of us including myself life has been really tough at times. The fact that there is an equalizer in death makes life comforting at times.

There is no such thing as living forever. It's impossible. You can die, or you can live long enough to change into someone else. Longevity just makes less people have to go through death.

Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#56
post #17
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best time to be alive is when longevity break throughs first appear. You have the advantages of experiencing the old ways of living and get to live unexpectedly longer and see the world adapt to the new normal. Fortunately that is what we are positioned for.

You're getting some downvotes, but I actually agree with this. The next ten or twenty years are going to be the most exciting so far, and then it only goes up from there.

[deleted]

Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#57
post #26
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How long time do you think it's realistic that we reach longevity escape velocity? And what current longevity research do you think is the most promising?

Probably about 20 years, just try to hold on until then.

Did people say that 20 years ago?

Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#58
post #27

Anyone don't want longevity for humans? I think death is a beautiful thing and for a lot of us including myself life has been really tough at times. The fact that there is an equalizer in death makes life comforting at times.

How do you reconcile this belief with not having already committed suicide?

Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#59
In 1897, philosopher Paul Janet came up with the model that current moments of time in our lives might be perceived by their "fraction of life lived thus far". This would seem to undermine the value of longevity somewhat:

according to this visualization of the idea: https://www.maximiliankiener.com/digitalprojects/time/

Re: Longevity FAQ: A beginner's guide to longevity research

#60
post #57
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably about 20 years, just try to hold on until then.

Did people say that 20 years ago?

Yes we did. I was on transhumanist mailing lists twenty years ago and the exact same comments were being made then as are in this thread today
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