I am a guy who sold his startup and I have like $20M in the bank. AMA. • Hacker News Board

Re: I am a guy who sold his startup and I have like $20M in the bank. AMA.

#91

Post by kls » Tue, Feb 09, 2010, 9:41 PM UTC

almost wrote: post #82

ido wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just an intuitive understanding that if we decrease infant mortality we will net the human race many more years of life than anti-aging research. Spare a few cents for a vaccine anyone? As opposed to dumping a bunch of money into theoretical anti-aging efforts. I will most likely never be an infant in Africa, but am very probable to eventually become an old person in the industrialized world. It might sounds cold-h…

It doesn't just sound cold-hearted, it is quite cold hearted but most people's standards. That's up to you of course, it's not like you're actively killing babies in Africa, but it does mean that conclusions you reach are not necessarily ones which other people will reach, even assuming good logical thought between the two points.

Actually, I think most people would chose themselves over the idea of an infant in a far off land. impersonal association usual leave one with a stronger self-preservation response, over electing to sacrifice oneself for someone else. Most are either more tactful or self-delusional to not voice it out-loud.

Re: I am a guy who sold his startup and I have like $20M in the bank. AMA.

#92

Post by Vitaly » Wed, Feb 10, 2010, 7:27 PM UTC

tsally wrote: post #43

xenophanes wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have stats showing anti-aging research has low benefit per dollar spent? Or do you just have some kind of prejudice against life? Aubrey de Grey says it's cheap, as these things go.

Just an intuitive understanding that if we decrease infant mortality we will net the human race many more years of life than anti-aging research. Spare a few cents for a vaccine anyone? As opposed to dumping a bunch of money into theoretical anti-aging efforts. Now you might argue that one additional year for an adult is more valuable to society than one additional year for a child, but I'd rather not quibble over th…

by this logic outlawing condoms will be even better :)

the idea is not to make more people to productive age, but to increase the span of this productive age. and decrease/prevent the suffering at the end.

Re: I am a guy who sold his startup and I have like $20M in the bank. AMA.

#93

Post by ramchip » Sat, Feb 13, 2010, 9:16 AM UTC

ido wrote: post #74

tsally wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just an intuitive understanding that if we decrease infant mortality we will net the human race many more years of life than anti-aging research. Spare a few cents for a vaccine anyone? As opposed to dumping a bunch of money into theoretical anti-aging efforts. Now you might argue that one additional year for an adult is more valuable to society than one additional year for a child, but I'd rather not quibble over th…

> Just an intuitive understanding that if we decrease infant mortality we will net the human race many more years of life than anti-aging research. Spare a few cents for a vaccine anyone? As opposed to dumping a bunch of money into theoretical anti-aging efforts. I will most likely never be an infant in Africa, but am very probable to eventually become an old person in the industrialized world. It might sounds cold-h…

Except that if you look at it from a utility point of view: a child in the middle of Africa, as he ages, is going to produce a lot less value than someone in a developed country. In one year a programmer makes perhaps $150k's worth of product, including a large amount of taxes which the government can allocate as he pleases, while an African farmer doing survival farming is going to make a tiny fraction of that, and not one that can easily be allocated to worthy projects. Beans and bananas can buy microscopes or vaccines, but you need a lot of them.

Considering that the value produced by the programmer (or whoever) can be reinvested or dedicated eventually to fighting infant mortality, I think there's a balance to be reached. It's not as simple as saying that infant mortality must have priority over anti-aging.