Image 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 domina

Image 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.