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A lot of people talk about repairing decrepitude of the body, but what about decrepitude of ideas and world views? What if advancement depends on the death of

A lot of people talk about repairing decrepitude of the body, but what about decrepitude of ideas and world views? What if advancement depends on the death of people with outdated ideas?

Barrin92 6y ago
Yep. Death is the one true source for renewal we have. A world without death is a world with potentially immortal dynasties and dictators straight out of Altered Carbon. Science progresses one funeral at a time, markets function by companies dying out, at the very fundamental biological reproduction relies on death. If you think 70 year old politicians and university deans are corrupt, wait for the 400 year old boomers. The end of death is essentially the beginning of stagnation. It's a libertarian fantasy pushed by Thiel et al, because death is the one last thing these people can't buy themselves out off. Death puts a natural end to even the worst individuals, wiping the slate clean is, sadly but necessarily, what keeps our species and our culture moving .
philipkglass 6y ago
About 0.7% of the American public dies each year: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db355.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db355.htm An idea that sees its support changing substantially faster than 0.7% per year is not primarily driven by older members of the public dying. The original Civil Rights movement, the fight for gay marriage, cannabis legalization -- all of these saw public acceptance shift much faster than population turnover can account for. Do you have examples in mind of trends that actually required the die-off of older people?
- barrkel 6y ago
  "Does Science Advance One Funeral at a Time?" - https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20161574 https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20161574 Another one is dictators. It seems like it took Franco's death for things to change in Spain, and Salazar's brain hemorrhage to change things in Portugal. Would Mubarak have been able to control the situation in Egypt if he was physically younger?
  - TomMarius 6y ago
    Would people wait for their death if it was not coming?

A lot of people talk about repairing decrepitude of the body, but what about decrepitude of ideas and world views? What if advancement depends on the death of people with outdated ideas?

Barrin92 6y ago

Yep. Death is the one true source for renewal we have. A world without death is a world with potentially immortal dynasties and dictators straight out of Altered Carbon. Science progresses one funeral at a time, markets function by companies dying out, at the very fundamental biological reproduction relies on death. If you think 70 year old politicians and university deans are corrupt, wait for the 400 year old boomers. The end of death is essentially the beginning of stagnation. It's a libertarian fantasy pushed by Thiel et al, because death is the one last thing these people can't buy themselves out off. Death puts a natural end to even the worst individuals, wiping the slate clean is, sadly but necessarily, what keeps our species and our culture moving .

philipkglass 6y ago

About 0.7% of the American public dies each year: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db355.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db355.htm An idea that sees its support changing substantially faster than 0.7% per year is not primarily driven by older members of the public dying. The original Civil Rights movement, the fight for gay marriage, cannabis legalization -- all of these saw public acceptance shift much faster than population turnover can account for. Do you have examples in mind of trends that actually required the die-off of older people?

barrkel 6y ago
"Does Science Advance One Funeral at a Time?" - https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20161574 https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20161574 Another one is dictators. It seems like it took Franco's death for things to change in Spain, and Salazar's brain hemorrhage to change things in Portugal. Would Mubarak have been able to control the situation in Egypt if he was physically younger?
- TomMarius 6y ago
  Would people wait for their death if it was not coming?