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His Mars trilogy includes a plot device where the Martians invent the biotech necessary for 400+ year lifespans - initially they try to keep it a secret, but it
by cryptoz 5y ago
His Mars trilogy includes a plot device where the Martians invent the biotech necessary for 400+ year lifespans - initially they try to keep it a secret, but it doesn't last as a secret for long. When word spreads to Earth, the debates rage - who gets it? Those who can pay for it? Thus increasing the inequality and also, massively surging overpopulation.
He's been thinking about this for a while, for sure. And I do wonder what is going to happen if we all get a 'chance' to live to 300 or something. Or forever. Yikes.
- hirundo 5y agoImage people born almost 300 years ago were still in power. Social change would likely be a lot slower. The society happy with slavery could still be the dominant property holders. Death, since it allows for more rapid adaptation, may be life's greatest invention. Too little of it could be crippling to a population. Our species-optimal lifespan now might be quite different than the one picked by evolution. It could be much greater, or it could be lower. But twiddling with that dial carries a lot of risk.
- throwaway316943 5y agoIt would solve the declining birth rate for one. With a 300 year lifespan you can afford to put your career on hold for 20 years while you have children. My belief is that an extended lifespan would force people to consider their impact on the world more, at our current span most people clock out well before the consequences kick in. If you stick around for a few centuries the results of your actions become much more evident. Maybe we’d all slow down a bit and enjoy life knowing that our mortality was delayed.