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Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

scientificamerican.com

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Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#51

Post by threatofrain »

Buttons840 wrote: post #49
zug_zug wrote: post #36

Seems cool, not sure if I want a bunch of 150 year olds voting (relatively, that would be like people born in 1870 voting today, 5 years after slavery ended).

I have two thoughts on this: - old people should have less voting power bacause they wont live to see the results of their votes - old people should have more voting power because they are older and have seen more of history I guess they balance out and everyone gets an equal vote.

But most people's account of any national, state, or city history for any event whatsoever cannot beat a quick search on Wikipedia. I'm not sure how much value there is in informal recollections of past events.

Have you ever heard a great retelling of history? It always seems to come from those who have invested Serious Effort to master a historical narrative, especially when they work with a community of fellow peers.

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#52

Post by whiddershins »

zug_zug wrote: post #36

Seems cool, not sure if I want a bunch of 150 year olds voting (relatively, that would be like people born in 1870 voting today, 5 years after slavery ended).

This is dismissive of gained wisdom over time, and probably the most unapologetic generalization about a group I’ve read recently.

My guess is having lots of older voters would make it so people stop falling for the same scams over and over, and are less prone to hysteria.

If that were the case, governance should improve dramatically.

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#53

Post by jazzkingrt »

zug_zug wrote: post #36

Seems cool, not sure if I want a bunch of 150 year olds voting (relatively, that would be like people born in 1870 voting today, 5 years after slavery ended).

This raises an interesting point.

I think we already live with this kind of tension much more than in the past, as made clear by the voting patterns of young vs old.

Sharing a country with people of such different values is hard. Particularly when the older generation is always the shrinking demographic and feels its way of life is at risk.

What can alleviate this? More federalism? More geographic clustering by age? A culture that puts empathy over shame?

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#54

Post by whiddershins »

threatofrain wrote: post #51
Buttons840 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have two thoughts on this: - old people should have less voting power bacause they wont live to see the results of their votes - old people should have more voting power because they are older and have seen more of history I guess they balance out and everyone gets an equal vote.

But most people's account of any national, state, or city history for any event whatsoever cannot beat a quick search on Wikipedia. I'm not sure how much value there is in informal recollections of past events. Have you ever heard a great retelling of history? It always seems to come from those who have invested Serious Effort to master a historical narrative, especially when they work with a community of fellow peer…

It’s not about specific historical events and narratives.

It’s about the general tendencies of humans, patterns, that you start to be able to perceive when you live a lot of life.

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#55

Post by duckfang »

mgh2 wrote: post #11

Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” -Genesis 6:3

Sorry, but I dont base my worldview on what a bunch of bronze-age people said. It's a good mythological story, though.

We have science.

--------------------------------

Edit: I really don't understand the downvoters. This specific passage was written 6000 years ago, give or take. It's from a religious holybook that has no bearing on technology, medicine, or science. Germ theory was nonexistent, most forms of medicine were in their most rudimentary levels. They didn't even have the technology or know-how for basic ironworking.

If you're an adherent to a religion, good for you. Its simply that - a mythology, a belief.

And we should be bearing no credence to the writings of religion in our sciences, unless it stated physical fact (think anthropology, geology, architecture - sciences), or if you're a religious historian and trying to understand how human religions change.

I thought we worked with sciences here, not superstition.

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#56

Post by felipemnoa »

optimalsolver wrote: post #40
melling wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

120 years would be a great start. Imagine the world 120 years ago in 1900. The airplane hadn’t been invented. Cars were still a novelty. Special Relativity hadn’t been discovered.

I seriously feel pissed about all the wonders of the future I'll never get to witness. All the things the human race is going to do. All the places it will go. Of course, that's assuming our species doesn't suffer a biotech apocalypse before then.

I'm right there with you. The one thing I really want to see is the invention of strong AI. That will take us into an era unimaginable for us.

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#57

Post by cglace »

threatofrain wrote: post #51
Buttons840 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have two thoughts on this: - old people should have less voting power bacause they wont live to see the results of their votes - old people should have more voting power because they are older and have seen more of history I guess they balance out and everyone gets an equal vote.

But most people's account of any national, state, or city history for any event whatsoever cannot beat a quick search on Wikipedia. I'm not sure how much value there is in informal recollections of past events. Have you ever heard a great retelling of history? It always seems to come from those who have invested Serious Effort to master a historical narrative, especially when they work with a community of fellow peer…

Yeah, why ask the person who was in WWII what it was like. Just jump on wikipedia and it'll be like your on Omaha beach.

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#58

Post by inglor_cz »

busterarm wrote: post #21
codegeek wrote: post #4

I always think about the scenario that I have outlived everyone I ever knew. Not sure if that is a good thing necessarily. I wonder how many new people you can meet or make friends after say 80 especially if you are not very healthy.

The year that I was 26, over two dozen people that I knew died. All separately. I was a wreck that year but learned early that everything is fleeting and precious. That said, I noticed diminished capability in life shortly before turning 40 and my mom is really struggling at 80. Longevity does not seem like a good deal to me.

This type of longevity (extension of maximal lifespan) cannot probably at all be achieved unless healthspan is extended as well. Otherwise all the diseases of aging would overwhelm the organism.

It also might work the other way round. Delaying aging might be exactly the same as prolonging healthspan. In that case, you basically have nothing natural to die of.

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#59

Post by nimbleal »

threatofrain wrote: post #51
Buttons840 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have two thoughts on this: - old people should have less voting power bacause they wont live to see the results of their votes - old people should have more voting power because they are older and have seen more of history I guess they balance out and everyone gets an equal vote.

But most people's account of any national, state, or city history for any event whatsoever cannot beat a quick search on Wikipedia. I'm not sure how much value there is in informal recollections of past events. Have you ever heard a great retelling of history? It always seems to come from those who have invested Serious Effort to master a historical narrative, especially when they work with a community of fellow peer…

Surely the whole of the human experience is, in the end, “informal recollections of past events”?

What tells you more about poverty — learning that an individual lives on less than a dollar a day or, say, spending 24 hours without food and shelter?

I would argue that the experience of lived history and the “facts” of history cannot be separated, and both must be equally valued.

Re: Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests

#60

Post by threatofrain »

whiddershins wrote: post #54
threatofrain wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But most people's account of any national, state, or city history for any event whatsoever cannot beat a quick search on Wikipedia. I'm not sure how much value there is in informal recollections of past events. Have you ever heard a great retelling of history? It always seems to come from those who have invested Serious Effort to master a historical narrative, especially when they work with a community of fellow peer…

It’s not about specific historical events and narratives. It’s about the general tendencies of humans, patterns, that you start to be able to perceive when you live a lot of life.

A story of history, humans, patterns on race and class, told without any mastery of any specifics in history? I mean, sure, but I'd just call that canned gossip. And don't we All have something to say about human sexuality?
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