[cblconfederate]

There's very little funding of longevity research apparently. Probably because of people sharing your opinion that stopping aging is selfish/immoral. But this is not right, we've severely underestimated the biological dangers of our overpopulated-overconnected world. We find ourselves needing to fight a pandemic with similar methods as in 1917, because we ve not prepared for that. Biotech should be an imperative for humanity if we want to live in an open connected world or if we want to go to space.

> I'm not against research to better understand aging and diseases that are a consequence of aging

That's like researching the symptoms instead of the cause, it's the wrong way to do medicine

[xvector]

> people sharing your opinion that stopping aging is selfish/immoral.

People share this opinion until they're on their deathbed. If offered a pill to be restored to youthful longevity in that moment, most people would give up everything and endure just about anything for a mere chance at it.

People are remarkably shortsighted and don't take the time to comprehend what the horror at the end of the tunnel will really feel like.

[Kognito]

I’m not even sure it’s that deep. Having listened to some of David Sinclair’s work, he talks about how modern medicine doesn’t see old age as an illness to cure, hence it not getting any funding.

It’s just accepted that you get old and your health goes down the toilet, because “that’s life”. Nobody bats an eyelid when we hear “died of natural causes”.

[shafyy]

Although I don't disagree, I think that's a very narrow way to look at it.

I think it's more about the fear of dying than about actual death. If you just died tomorrow in your sleep, what would it matter? Assuming you didn't have a terminal illness or are of old age, you probably didn't fear immediate death. And you didn't suffer one bit.

Sure, it would suck for your friends and family, but for you, it wouldn't matter.

[kiba]

It's different for everyone.

I fear non-existence more than dying.

[shafyy]

Why do you fear it? You didn't fear it the 14 bn years before you existed, did you?

[libertine]

>If offered a pill to be restored to youthful longevity in that moment

The only enticing thing of that pill would be if you'd retain all your memories and material possessions, because let's say you had to compromise that:

- You get a pill but your memory will be wiped;

- The cost of the pill would be so high you'd lose all your material possessions;

What would be the difference between that and dying?

[buran77]

People would still take the deal because it gives them the hope that they can somehow avoid the biggest, most unavoidable, irreversible unknown: death.

And for a billionaire the second choice is a no-brainer. They lose all the material possessions but still have all the knowledge, experiences and relationships that would allow them to easily get back in the saddle.

On the other hand for a person living day-to-day trying to make ends meet the idea of "enjoying" some more years of the same may not be as thrilling as it is for a millionaire. Sure, nobody wants to die, leave family and loved ones but at some point they may want an out. Some lives are hard or become unpleasant enough to feel like a never ending punishment, like extending a life sentence in prison.

[libertine]

You've said it all man.

The value of life seems to only be worth if you've got enough material possessions - else, it's a prison.

How messed up is that?

How fucked up are we that this is even a discussion without the prior discussion about the value of life to begin with.

So, this would only make sense if after you take the pill, your memory is wiped and you're given a random geographical location on earth.

Would be fun to see a billionaire having to make it somewhere in the horn of Africa.

[FooBarBizBazz]

> Would be fun to see a billionaire having to make it somewhere in the horn of Africa.

"Naked and Afraid 2: Bezos in Somalia."

People would love that. It'd be like Black Mirror S02E05, White Bear.

Cable news outlets would have to air live human sacrifice just to keep up.

Anderson Cooper reluctantly lifts the obsidian blade. He looks distraught. "Do we really have to do this, guys?" From Erin Burnett, he hears a bene gesserit voice of outrage and command. Down plunges the knife. Mixed with the blood, tears stream down Anderson's face.

(On Fox, Tucker Carlson has a pro wrestler do it for him, and they just Photoshop his face on.)

You flip the channel.

Jeff Bezos has somehow acquired a bandolier, and is wearing the pelt of a human being.

"Damn."

[kiba]

I remembered a person asked questions about everlasting youth and indefinite lifespan to people, with the option to commit suicide.

People weirdly reject it for some reason, even though there's no catch. I suspect it's a cultural cached response, because taking these pill always mean some sort of catch.

[rad_gruchalski]

> most people would give up everything and endure just about anything for a mere chance at it

I feel like you just make assumptions here.

[enumjorge]

So humanity has problems stemming from overpopulation and your take is that we should reduce the rate at which nature makes space for others? Death scares me as much the next person, but I feel like we’re not fully considering the consequences of “curing” it.

And call me cynical but IMO it’s naive to think that this technology would be accessible to the average person. If it makes it to market it’s going to cost a small fortune and every super wealthy person in the world is going to be throwing money at it. It’s going to be the luxury yacht of healthcare.

[kiba]

And call me cynical but IMO it’s naive to think that this technology would be accessible to the average person. If it makes it to market it’s going to cost a small fortune and every super wealthy person in the world is going to be throwing money at it. It’s going to be the luxury yacht of healthcare.

There's necessarily no reason to think it will be horrifically expensive. Maybe it will be, maybe it will not. mRNA vaccines cost something like ~25 dollars and yet it will save lives for many years to come. It's a very effective medicine.

It's also incorrect to think that this is necessarily one treatment or one therapy. It may be a whole series of therapies that treat one aspect of aging over another.

[cblconfederate]

the same concerns have been raised for every technoogy ever

[shafyy]

> Probably because of people sharing your opinion that stopping aging is selfish/immoral

That's not what I said at all.