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Most older people seem to be less likely to adapt to changes to society. E.g. Elderly people are less likely to take up new technology. Perhaps it might be rela
by meric 14y ago
Most older people seem to be less likely to adapt to changes to society. E.g. Elderly people are less likely to take up new technology. Perhaps it might be related to the fact that babies' brains form new connections at a much faster rate than a thirty year old's whose brain form new connections at a much faster rate than an eighty year old's?
If you've played with machine learning, many machine learning algorithms are able to "learn" quickly initially but later on, it can less quickly adapt to changes. (Someone more knowledgeable may correct me here).
Consider the possibility that old people can have young bodies forever, but their brain / world view / whatever will not fundamentally change from when they were teenagers. i.e old people will continue to think outdated ideas and use outdated technologies, and not die. Whenever we talk about the establishment, congressmen thinking in outdated ways, these are the exact same people! Unless we can find a way to keep the brain young without continually causing amnesia, people with control over society to its detriment will continue living, forever.
Do you want to be a 250 year old who thinks that the world is wrong and you are right, that the old ways are best, while everyone else tries to convince you to move on?
I'd like to live as a 22 year old forever, but unfortunately that is not possible without freezing time (or resetting my brain using version control every birthday).
- anthonyb 14y agoWell if you stay biologically 22 forever, who's to say that your brain won't remain plastic? Also, you form new neurons throughout your life, not just when you're a baby. If you're learning new stuff, those neurons stick around.
- zizee 14y agoStrawman, but valid thoughts. I have had similar misgivings, but if we have cured aging, part of that should include a cure for our minds aging aswell.
- MaysonL 14y agoAs a 66 year old, who just finished the Coursera machine learning course with a score of 750/700 on the programming assignments, and is currently ranked in the top 8% in the current Caltech online ML course, I think you're talking prejudiced and prejudicial BS. Some people can't adapt to new ideas at any age, and some remain flexible, mentally and physically. My mother was mentally alert and engaged up until her death at 99, although her body was failing. Many 22 year olds have lousy judgement compared to adults - I know that I did.
- meric 14y ago" I think you're talking prejudiced and prejudicial BS" There's a difference between deciding someone represents exactly their stereotype (prejudice), and looking for patterns based on one's observations. "Some people can't adapt to new ideas at any age," These are the people I'm talking about.
- pjscott 14y agoSince the topic of machine learning came up in this thread: what you've said is a special case of Bayesian inference, as applied to demographic groups.
- learc83 14y agoI tend to agree with you overall. I think society would move much slower if people lived to 250, and I think it would be a net negative. However, some of the concepts you're talking about were based on flawed studies done decades ago. Old people's thinking and learning abilities do not diminish nearly as much as we used to believe.