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Should we end aging forever? - Kurzgesagt

sphagnum

Banned
1. Unless you can figure out how to deal with the overuse of resources and overpopulation that would result from this, no.

2. Unless it's something that is equally applied to all instead of monopolized by the rich, no.
 

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
We should end aging but not extend lifespans. Let everyone stay looking like they are 26 until they die at the age of 87.
 

Lunar15

Member
Yes, as long as:

1. It can be done to a fairly equitable degree
2. We can handle the overpopulation that would result from this

I'm not sure I have faith in either of those things, so I'm curious as to how we'd pull it off.
 

M3d10n

Member
1. Unless you can figure out how to deal with the overuse of resources and overpopulation that would result from this, no.

2. Unless it's something that is equally applied to all instead of monopolized by the rich, no.

This. Immortality would wreck society in several ways. If it's for everyone, reproduction would need to be heavily regulated to keep population numbers sustainable, if it's only for a few you create an even more lopsided upper class.
 

frontovik

Banned
I'm not opposed to the idea of maintaining youth for a few more decades, but accept that death is an inevitability.
 

DBT85

Member
It's easy at 32 to say I want to live forever. Not sure if people at 92 would feel the same, even if they did only look and feel 60.
 

Preezy

Member
How would this work in reality? Would you reach a certain age and just stop aging anymore, so the world would eventually just be a planet full of wrinkly 150 year olds? That doesn't sound fun. Plus you'd probably lose your marbles trying to remember everything, and time would appear to speed up for everyone as each year of their life would be a smaller and smaller percentage of their overall lifespan.

So in short, probably not.
 

KonradLaw

Member
Solution is simple: if you wanna be immortal, you have to be sterilized at the same time.

Only in poor countries though, which realistically wouldn't get access to this type of technology anyway. Rich countries meanwhile need to expand their populations or at the very least half their declines, so short-term there should be no restrictions of such kind.
 

CookTrain

Member
I get why people want longer lives and inhibited aging and such... but for me, no thank you. Let me clock out when I clock out and be done with it.
 

Litan

Member
- End aging

- No restrictions on reproductive rights



Pick one
People in developed countries dont have a lot of kids. With India and Asia on the come up and Africa to follow, how long do you think it'll be before the birth rate slows down significantly globally?

World's population is predicted to reach around 10b in 2050. Do you think it will ever be the case that beyond that it will continue to increase and hit 15/20b? I dont.
 

Tempy

don't ask me for codes
Turn it into game show where the contestants fight to the death, and the winner gets the anti-aging treatment.
 

Oppo

Member
the overpopulation question is sort of interesting in this context because we might be able to deal with it if we actually have that many knowledgeable people.
 
Solution is simple: if you wanna be immortal, you have to be sterilized at the same time.

What happens if some unanticipated disaster destroys a significant percentage of the population? If immortality is affordable and accessible, I see the vast majority of a given population taking that deal, leading to issues of repopulating after a catastrophe. Also, as immortality would go hand in hand with the desire for space exploration, it could also lead to colonization population issues.

It would certainly be ironic if successfully achieving immortality led to the extinction of humanity.

Restrictions may necessary, but I'm not sure sterilization would be desireable in the long term.

Not sure if I would want to be immortal. I don't really have a concrete answer why, and given the chance I could see myself jump on it, but I feel rather apprehensive about the idea.
 

Litan

Member
How would this work in reality? Would you reach a certain age and just stop aging anymore, so the world would eventually just be a planet full of wrinkly 150 year olds? That doesn't sound fun. Plus you'd probably lose your marbles trying to remember everything, and time would appear to speed up for everyone as each year of their life would be a smaller and smaller percentage of their overall lifespan.

So in short, probably not.
The point is to stop the things that make you old and wrinkly in the first place.

Science is already working on things that treat or prevent diseases like alzeimhers, or ways for people to store memories.
 

Toxi

Banned
The main aim of anti-aging research is not to extend the maximum human lifespan, it's to increase the quality of life for old age and delay the physical and mental deterioration. It's unlikely we will get people living above 130 years any time soon, but we can make a whole lot more people live a comfortable life up to 70 or 80, and make sure more people live to 90 or 100.

Our bodies have not evolved to be healthy in old age because we reproduce primarily at the beginning and middle of sexual maturity. Anti-aging research is generally about fixing this flaw.
 

2MF

Member
What happens if some unanticipated disaster destroys a significant percentage of the population? If immortality is affordable and accessible, I see the vast majority of a given population taking that deal, leading to issues of repopulating after a catastrophe. Also, as immortality would go hand in hand with the desire for space exploration, it could also lead to colonization population issues.

It would certainly be ironic if successfully achieving immortality led to the extinction of humanity.

Restrictions may necessary, but I'm not sure sterilization would be desireable in the long term.

If we can achieve immortality surely we can still do artificial insemination or something similar.
 

Preezy

Member
There's also the problem of murder. Doesn't matter if you can people immortal, if someone who isn't wealthy or lucky enough to get the special treatment what's to stop them from walking up to an immortal and shooting them in the head several times and properly killing them dead. The have-nots would be a serious risk to the haves.

Immortal-only treehouse club? Possible solution right there I guess.
 

Lunar15

Member
The main aim of anti-aging research is not to extend the maximum human lifespan, it's to increase the quality of life for old age and delay the physical and mental deterioration.

All my grandparents either died tragically early or suffered from Alzheimers, and I fear the same will happen with my own parents. I desperately hope we find cures, but also fear the cost of these treatments.
 

adj_noun

Member
There's also the problem of murder. Doesn't matter if you can people immortal, if someone who isn't wealthy or lucky enough to get the special treatment what's to stop them from walking up to an immortal and shooting them in the head several times and properly killing them dead. The have-nots would be a serious risk to the haves.

Immortal-only treehouse club? Possible solution right there I guess.

Immortal Trump on the MOOOOOOOOOON

Sure, why not?

This would be a decent title for a dystopian short story.
 

Manu

Member
I don't know. I'm sure if we could stay young for longer the retirement age would be bumped up as well.

I don't want to work until I'm on my 80s. Hell, I don't want to work until I'm on my 60s either.
 

Burt

Member
There's also the problem of murder. Doesn't matter if you can people immortal, if someone who isn't wealthy or lucky enough to get the special treatment what's to stop them from walking up to an immortal and shooting them in the head several times and properly killing them dead. The have-nots would be a serious risk to the haves.

Immortal-only treehouse club? Possible solution right there I guess.

Or, just plain disfigurement.

51AwzO3VvGL.jpg

I remember the book being alright, but the thing that sticks out is the real life extension of trolling in a world where people could stop their aging. People would just run around and try to mess up people who had had the treatment for eternity by blinding them with acid and stuff like that.

Honestly, doesn't sound too far fetched anymore, from a "would people actually do that" standpoint.
 
This still seems implausible to me. Like let's say we stop aging and you're 150. Won't you just be, or eventually become an immortal cancerous blob of suffering? I don't have faith that science can ever cure everything we may face.
 

nded

Member
The problem I had with this video was that it seems to assume most people actually live lives they wanna continue. Living in misery and not being able to even look forward to a finite end? Shit...

You could still commit suicide. Immortality doesn't necessarily mean invulnerability.
 

Keasar

Member
You could still commit suicide. Immortality doesn't necessarily mean invulnerability.

The video argues that death is a source of misery for the ones left alive, so in a world of immortality, death by suicide would still be considered a huge deal by those left behind wouldn't it? And even then, the point of the video is to "get rid of the longing of death", so now you would have people who live in constant suffering not being able to feed themselves, not to find work due to inefficient schooling, not being able to be educated further because a lot of people just don't fullfill that smart quota needed, and they can't even bring themselves to suicide.
 

Dynomutt

Member
No we were meant to die. If anything this science would only be reserved for the wealthiest. Could you imagine politicians with a "Trumpish" agenda living forever? As ideal as it sounds I don't think it would turn out positively.
 
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