[dscourge]

I've been reading stuff about longevity and people like Aubrey de Grey think that we'll have age reversal therapies within 20 years. Would you choose to take them?

[lovethebanta]

Nope - living too long would suck the spontaneity out of life imo

[hooploop]

I'm down. I'm scared of death

[Seraph1]

If everyone started doing that, it would lead to overpopulation, limited space/resources, and people fighting and killing each other all the time for their own survival--creating a hell on Earth and only speeding up the destruction of the planet.

Death is part of a natural process, as is life. Rather than trying to cheat it, why not use the time you have living to overcome the fear of death? Because even if you were to extend your life/youth indefinitely, the planet has its own lifespan, and is not going to last forever. Stories that have dealt with the subject of immortality have always shown that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Even if you had everything you thought you needed/desired, that doesn't mean you'll feel fulfilled; living can still become painful.

[ThaJack]

Yes, I would. But I would only stop the aging, not death itself.
All the old people in my family really didnt have a nice retirement. They were in constant pain. The only thing they did was taking a walk once or twice a day, buy some groceries and sit in their house/flat all day. They couldnt do anything else.

[salmont]

Interesting question. I would also prevent the course of aging itself but not death.
But on the other hand, I think it would be amazing to see how the Earth progresses and the advancements humans make and I would love to stick around for that.

[lamaiden974]

I believe eating healthy, doing exercise will keep your body and mind in a state to live longer.
Of course getting old and death are expected but at least, it will keep you in a better shape to enjoy your old age

[wowcoolguy]

nope, we all will pass at some point. its inevitable

[krush_777]

I totally would if I could, life is way too short.

[IPSUMShawty]

I would totally do it. Life is way too short.

[dscourge]

Nope - living too long would suck the spontaneity out of life imo

Idk I feel like death already does that pretty effectively. We're at peak vitality for like a decade at best, and then for the rest of our lives we're just slowly losing energy and motivation to be spontaneous. I feel like if you could be ~25 forever your life would be quite a bit more spontaneous than it would be naturally. It also means you can afford to waste time on whatever random thing you want to do.

---

If everyone started doing that, it would lead to overpopulation, limited space/resources, and people fighting and killing each other all the time for their own survival--creating a hell on Earth and only speeding up the destruction of the planet.

Death is part of a natural process, as is life. Rather than trying to cheat it, why not use the time you have living to overcome the fear of death? Because even if you were to extend your life/youth indefinitely, the planet has its own lifespan, and is not going to last forever. Stories that have dealt with the subject of immortality have always shown that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Even if you had everything you thought you needed/desired, that doesn't mean you'll feel fulfilled; living can still become painful.

Studies have been done showing that overpopulation wouldn't really be an issue (

RE: If you could prevent yourself from aging, would you?.

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). Fertility rates are already dropping rapidly in the developed world. We may actually end up needing much longer lifespans if we don't want to run out of people. In fact, it's aging that's taking a real, measurable toll on society. We have to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on palliative care, nursing homes, accidental injuries, and pharmaceuticals per year per person. Now imagine if every one of those people could be as healthy as a 20-year old for as long as they wanted. I think it'd be pretty cruel to deny them of that. Claude Lanzmann, a holocaust documentary filmmaker, had this to say about whether death is natural: "Every death is violent. There is no natural death, unlikely the picture we like to paint of the father who died quietly in his sleep, surrounded by his loved ones. I don't believe in that."

If you'd been unlucky enough to be born with Werner syndrome, a genetic condition that causes you to age twice as fast, and someone offered you a treatment that would give you a "full" lifespan, would you take it? Or would you surrender to the bad hand you've been dealt? I don't see any difference between this situation and the one we'd find ourselves in if we figured out how to live to 200. We only except the 80 or so years we're given because there's no other alternative. Of course we'll never outlast the heat death of the universe. But why not experience more of the splendor of life given the opportunity?

[Seraph1]

Studies have been done showing that overpopulation wouldn't really be an issue (

RE: If you could prevent yourself from aging, would you?.

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). Fertility rates are already dropping rapidly in the developed world. We may actually end up needing much longer lifespans if we don't want to run out of people. In fact, it's aging that's taking a real, measurable toll on society. We have to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on palliative care, nursing homes, accidental injuries, and pharmaceuticals per year per person. Now imagine if every one of those people could be as healthy as a 20-year old for as long as they wanted. I think it'd be pretty cruel to deny them of that. Claude Lanzmann, a holocaust documentary filmmaker, had this to say about whether death is natural: "Every death is violent. There is no natural death, unlikely the picture we like to paint of the father who died quietly in his sleep, surrounded by his loved ones. I don't believe in that."

If you'd been unlucky enough to be born with Werner syndrome, a genetic condition that causes you to age twice as fast, and someone offered you a treatment that would give you a "full" lifespan, would you take it? Or would you surrender to the bad hand you've been dealt? I don't see any difference between this situation and the one we'd find ourselves in if we figured out how to live to 200. We only except the 80 or so years we're given because there's no other alternative. Of course we'll never outlast the heat death of the universe. But why not experience more of the splendor of life given the opportunity?

That points to a more underlying issue. Western cultures have become decadent, and it gets reflected in their ability to reproduce. 3rd world populations don't have this issue, and have many children on average; so the human race as a whole is not in danger of running out. But unless Western culture dramatically changes, modern-day civilization is doomed to fail and be replaced at this rate, as history has shown with Rome. Continuing doing the same self-destructive actions while not looking to fix them is only prolonging the inevitable, artificially putting things in a more unstable state.

We already have hormone replacement therapies to make people feel younger, extending their lifeforce synthetically; but I believe it's only superficial. A bodybuilder may appear strong and healthy on the surface, but on the inside, their organs may not be in good shape at all--as they're being forced to work past their natural limit, and can lead to a more painful death. Science then turns to replacing the organ entirely through transplants, which is limited by one's constitution and brings up more ethical concerns/problems along with it. My grandfather died peacefully in his sleep; while my father died painfully with his eyes open, body stiffened/paralyzed. So in my experience, it is possible to have a "natural death" in the way that Lanzmann describes; his more pessimistic perspective on death is more likely the outcome of the trauma/pain he's seen associated with it, having grown up during the Holocaust.

You can still have fruitful experiences and a fulfilling life in a shorter period of time (you can use artificial methods in moderation to achieve those goals), without having to extend your lifespan to the triple digits. Relying on science is a slippery slope, as you're putting your life into a system of dependency. If the system were to fail, extending your life would then become like torture, without the convenient means to sustain it. You're looking at it in the scenario that everything will be the same in a hundred years as it is now, simply indulging in pleasure to sustain your life. But there's also a limit to physical experience, which can be seen with celebrities/rich people who have the power to experience whatever their heart desires at any given time (travelling the world, meeting new people, sex, drugs, etc.)... they wouldn't be getting depressed, discontent, and unfulfilled with their lives if that was all that mattered in the long run.

[SplashOfBlueberry]

Interesting question. I would also prevent the course of aging itself but not death.
But on the other hand, I think it would be amazing to see how the Earth progresses and the advancements humans make and I would love to stick around for that.

i agree with this. would still like to die in a timely manner, just without the side effects of being old

[Temple_Stryke]

Interesting question. I would also prevent the course of aging itself but not death.
But on the other hand, I think it would be amazing to see how the Earth progresses and the advancements humans make and I would love to stick around for that.

i agree with this. would still like to die in a timely manner, just without the side effects of being old

"Would like to die in a timely manner" really made me lol, you canadian or something? 

[johnshi1234]

id rather be able to change my age rather than prevent myself from aging

[DJboutit]

Yes I would and I do it to my GF to I would. I would be ok living for like 400 to 500 years that would be enough years.

[Iamsnoopscousin]

I'm good with a sub 100 age, what would matter is not getting 20 sicknesses and broken hip and replaces knees towards the end of my life

[MisterNwah]

I'll do it if there's a way to reverse it and continue aging normally from the age when you started. I'd love to be able to experience a whole lot but once I've had my fill, it's time to go.

[HammerBro666]

At this age? Definitely.
I'd stop myself from aging at around 25 to 30, and live my life like that
Not sure what the consequences on my loved ones or acquintances would be, but I'd probably take the chance

[peridacia]

Idk I feel like death already does that pretty effectively. We're at peak vitality for like a decade at best, and then for the rest of our lives we're just slowly losing energy and motivation to be spontaneous. I feel like if you could be ~25 forever your life would be quite a bit more spontaneous than it would be naturally. It also means you can afford to waste time on whatever random thing you want to do.

---

Studies have been done showing that overpopulation wouldn't really be an issue ( ). Fertility rates are already dropping rapidly in the developed world. We may actually end up needing much longer lifespans if we don't want to run out of people. In fact, it's aging that's taking a real, measurable toll on society. We have to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on palliative care, nursing homes, accidental injuries, and pharmaceuticals per year per person. Now imagine if every one of those people could be as healthy as a 20-year old for as long as they wanted. I think it'd be pretty cruel to deny them of that. Claude Lanzmann, a holocaust documentary filmmaker, had this to say about whether death is natural: "Every death is violent. There is no natural death, unlikely the picture we like to paint of the father who died quietly in his sleep, surrounded by his loved ones. I don't believe in that."

If you'd been unlucky enough to be born with Werner syndrome, a genetic condition that causes you to age twice as fast, and someone offered you a treatment that would give you a "full" lifespan, would you take it? Or would you surrender to the bad hand you've been dealt? I don't see any difference between this situation and the one we'd find ourselves in if we figured out how to live to 200. We only except the 80 or so years we're given because there's no other alternative. Of course we'll never outlast the heat death of the universe. But why not experience more of the splendor of life given the opportunity?
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