5 ms·

Death is the ultimate equalizer. We take solace in the fact that no matter how rich, brutal, tyrannical, comically-villainous one is, death will surely come for

Death is the ultimate equalizer. We take solace in the fact that no matter how rich, brutal, tyrannical, comically-villainous one is, death will surely come for us all. The day old-gizzards figure out how to sip on young-people juice and live forever, we are truly screwed.

deleted 4y ago
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meowface 4y ago
I think it's the exact opposite. The day being old is no longer a disease and a path to inevitable death will be one of the greatest things to ever happen to humanity, now and forever into the future. Especially if you can retain a youthful, healthy brain and body no matter how old you are. An old tyrannical movie villain dies and a to-be old tyrannical movie villain is born. Billions of people shouldn't be sentenced to death just because the world might be a bit better off if a few people weren't immortal.
- dangerlibrary 4y ago
  Pretty sure the possible world being lamented in the GP comment is not "everyone gets to live forever and stay healthy and youthful" but instead "there exist expensive, parasitic procedures which will allow some rich people to have drastically extended lifespans."
  - inglor_cz 4y ago
    parasitic procedures You can be almost sure that once the underlying mechanism is known, the necessary stuff will be synthetised instead of being transferred from a young person to an older one. If only to guarantee stable supply, consistent quality and rule out accidental transmission of various pathogens from the donor.
    - hulitu 4y ago
      As a computer i find your trust in technology amusing. The underlying mechanism of a heart, for example, is known. But they still search for pigs to take hearts for transplant.
    - karagenit 4y ago
      I dunno, we understand the underlying mechanism of blood pretty well, but we’re still a long way off from being able to (economically) synthesize blood for transfusion.
  - tsol 4y ago
    The people in power certainly will take advantage of it, and for that reason we will all suffer disproportionately
- kiba 4y ago
  An old tyrannical movie villain dies and a to-be old tyrannical movie villain is born. Billions of people shouldn't be sentenced to death just because the world might be a bit better off if a few people weren't immortal. Tyrants aren't even forever even if they never die of old age. After all, tyrants can meet their end through constantly replacing their followers with yes-men to the point of becoming increasingly detached from reality. This may prevent them from noticing certain features of reality such as military incompetence of their force.
- solfox 4y ago
  Death is a beautiful happening that we should not fear so much. It allows growth and transmutation of stagnant ideology.
  - meowface 4y ago
    All I can say is I wholeheartedly disagree. It has some pragmatic utility in replacing stale, antiquated ideologies, but the costs vastly outweigh the benefits, and there are always future solutions that can help retain such things to a degree: e.g. you can no longer vote or run for office if you're above the age of 110, or whatever.
kiba 4y ago
Death is just a horrible thing that happens. The facts that it come equally for both heroes and villains doesn't change that.
- atoav 4y ago
  Death is just a thing that happens. Whether it is horrible, sad, a relief or a reason to celebrate depends on whom you ask about whose death at which point in time. The suicide of Hitler certainly was a horrible tragedy to his close family and those who believed into him — for many others it was a reason to celebrate. Similarily death of a young family member can be traumatic to the max, while the death of grandmother which everybody (including herself) already accepted and comes after a live well lived can be even have a certain beauty to it. Death is not that simple.
inglor_cz 4y ago
For me, death is not the main problem, but the long, drawn out period of slowly coming apart definitely is. I would very much prefer not to spend last 15 years of my life crippled from multiple degenerative diseases of old age. Most of the longevity research is trying to stretch healthspan. Stretching lifespan as such is a nice side effect. We aren't likely to live forever anyway.
- noneeeed 4y ago
  Having watched my mum, and now my dad decline in old age I couldn't agree more. I don't like the idea of dying, but the slow slide into immobile sinility is positively terrifying. I'm in my 40s. I've resolved to look after my health not to live longer, but to extend my health for as long as possible. I'm determined to stay active, mobile and socially/intelectually engaged for as long as I can, partly for my self, but also for my kids.
- kiba 4y ago
  Living longer is entangled with living healthier anyway.
hulitu 4y ago
A criminal is still a criminal even after death.
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space_fountain 4y ago
Huge worry for me as well. Let me remind everyone that aging is mostly about entropy, the exact same thing that causes an engine to inevitably wear out and break down happening to you and just like an engine fixing can't ever be as simple as just applying on procedure to all engines, because a million different things can go wrong, and there are a billion different unique people each with slightly different ways to break down. We're starting to go down a road of designer medicine and it seems very possible to me that some day we'll live in a world that a billionaire willing to spend millions a year can solve their aging. Employ a team of researchers to figure out what's breaking and put it right, but that the average person never will be

deleted 4y ago

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meowface 4y ago

I think it's the exact opposite. The day being old is no longer a disease and a path to inevitable death will be one of the greatest things to ever happen to humanity, now and forever into the future. Especially if you can retain a youthful, healthy brain and body no matter how old you are. An old tyrannical movie villain dies and a to-be old tyrannical movie villain is born. Billions of people shouldn't be sentenced to death just because the world might be a bit better off if a few people weren't immortal.

dangerlibrary 4y ago
Pretty sure the possible world being lamented in the GP comment is not "everyone gets to live forever and stay healthy and youthful" but instead "there exist expensive, parasitic procedures which will allow some rich people to have drastically extended lifespans."
- inglor_cz 4y ago
  parasitic procedures You can be almost sure that once the underlying mechanism is known, the necessary stuff will be synthetised instead of being transferred from a young person to an older one. If only to guarantee stable supply, consistent quality and rule out accidental transmission of various pathogens from the donor.
  - hulitu 4y ago
    As a computer i find your trust in technology amusing. The underlying mechanism of a heart, for example, is known. But they still search for pigs to take hearts for transplant.
  - karagenit 4y ago
    I dunno, we understand the underlying mechanism of blood pretty well, but we’re still a long way off from being able to (economically) synthesize blood for transfusion.
- tsol 4y ago
  The people in power certainly will take advantage of it, and for that reason we will all suffer disproportionately
kiba 4y ago
An old tyrannical movie villain dies and a to-be old tyrannical movie villain is born. Billions of people shouldn't be sentenced to death just because the world might be a bit better off if a few people weren't immortal. Tyrants aren't even forever even if they never die of old age. After all, tyrants can meet their end through constantly replacing their followers with yes-men to the point of becoming increasingly detached from reality. This may prevent them from noticing certain features of reality such as military incompetence of their force.
solfox 4y ago
Death is a beautiful happening that we should not fear so much. It allows growth and transmutation of stagnant ideology.
- meowface 4y ago
  All I can say is I wholeheartedly disagree. It has some pragmatic utility in replacing stale, antiquated ideologies, but the costs vastly outweigh the benefits, and there are always future solutions that can help retain such things to a degree: e.g. you can no longer vote or run for office if you're above the age of 110, or whatever.

kiba 4y ago

Death is just a horrible thing that happens. The facts that it come equally for both heroes and villains doesn't change that.

atoav 4y ago
Death is just a thing that happens. Whether it is horrible, sad, a relief or a reason to celebrate depends on whom you ask about whose death at which point in time. The suicide of Hitler certainly was a horrible tragedy to his close family and those who believed into him — for many others it was a reason to celebrate. Similarily death of a young family member can be traumatic to the max, while the death of grandmother which everybody (including herself) already accepted and comes after a live well lived can be even have a certain beauty to it. Death is not that simple.

inglor_cz 4y ago

For me, death is not the main problem, but the long, drawn out period of slowly coming apart definitely is. I would very much prefer not to spend last 15 years of my life crippled from multiple degenerative diseases of old age. Most of the longevity research is trying to stretch healthspan. Stretching lifespan as such is a nice side effect. We aren't likely to live forever anyway.

noneeeed 4y ago
Having watched my mum, and now my dad decline in old age I couldn't agree more. I don't like the idea of dying, but the slow slide into immobile sinility is positively terrifying. I'm in my 40s. I've resolved to look after my health not to live longer, but to extend my health for as long as possible. I'm determined to stay active, mobile and socially/intelectually engaged for as long as I can, partly for my self, but also for my kids.
kiba 4y ago
Living longer is entangled with living healthier anyway.

hulitu 4y ago

A criminal is still a criminal even after death.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

space_fountain 4y ago

Huge worry for me as well. Let me remind everyone that aging is mostly about entropy, the exact same thing that causes an engine to inevitably wear out and break down happening to you and just like an engine fixing can't ever be as simple as just applying on procedure to all engines, because a million different things can go wrong, and there are a billion different unique people each with slightly different ways to break down. We're starting to go down a road of designer medicine and it seems very possible to me that some day we'll live in a world that a billionaire willing to spend millions a year can solve their aging. Employ a team of researchers to figure out what's breaking and put it right, but that the average person never will be