What hope do you have to live to significant live extension?

[LilithSlave]

I've noticed a lot of people talk about things that might happen in the distant future as irrelevant to them, as they'll at least be dead of old age by then. But a lot of people also talk about how we're approaching the singularity, Extra Credits included.

Maybe the "Singularity" has another century or two to get here, but what of the path getting there? What about life extension in general? From the weak things of finding things to make ourselves age slower, to whole brain emulation.

What hope do we, this generation, have, to live to over 200 years old? At least, those of us who manage to live to being senior citizens...

I don't worry about the Singularity. But I also can at hope to be able to extend my life as long as possible. 100 years.... just isn't enough. Perhaps many futurologists are myopic and optimistic, but is it too much to hope to at least live to 200?

 

[MrBaguette]

Well as much as I wouldn't mind living an extra 100 years, would I be cripple and frail for the whole time? Or would my aging be in proportion to my extra lifespan? If so then wouldn't we be even more screwed due to overpopulation? Isin't it bad enough that we are 7 billion people on this planet and then we get an extra lifespan boost? We would have to regulate births and food. Death is a natural cycle of life and as it's true 100 years is not very much it works for many people.

 

[LilithSlave]

Well as much as I wouldn't mind living an extra 100 years, would I be cripple and frail for the whole time? Or would my aging be in proportion to my extra lifespan? If so then wouldn't we be even more screwed due to overpopulation? Isin't it bad enough that we are 7 billion people on this planet and then we get an extra lifespan boost? We would have to regulate births and food. Death is a natural cycle of life and as it's true 100 years is not very much it works for many people.

I wasn't expecting someone with such an avatar to be so anti-transhuman.

Pro-death, maybe, but still...

Death is a natural cycle of life and as it's true 100 years is not very much it works for many people.

Then they don't have to go on living. Living is always an option. Maybe it won't be if the Singularity hits. But really...

The world can struggle with overpopulation all it wants, that doesn't stop the inability to live longer from being a horrible thing. If we live longer, we'll have longer to learn and learn what do about our population numbers. Nothing can be gained from living a shorter lifespan.

 

[MrBaguette]

The avatar is mainly support for doctor who (the dalek's being my favorite alien) and yes living longer would have pro's and con's but and yes we would be able to gain wisdom with those extra years but I am just trying to imagine the outcomes out of all humanity living longer

 

[CAPTCHA]

I think that even if longevity drugs were invented within the next few years it would take a loooonnnngggg time before said drugs were made available to the public. Their would need to be a massive revolution in the way the way we propogate as a species, as well solutions to our energy and resource concerns. Most likely longevity drugs would first become available to people whom hold important roles in society. CEOs of mega corporations who can afford it, doctors and scientists at the top of their fields, military campaigners, etc. The kind of people who pass for modern nobility. AKA none of us.

 

[LilithSlave]

"Loooong" surely wouldn't take more than a few decades. Certainly far sooner than any of us will reach 80. Meaning that hopefully many people could live to 150 or however long it takes for the advent of mind uploading to come.

 

[aPod]

Well as much as I wouldn't mind living an extra 100 years, would I be cripple and frail for the whole time? Or would my aging be in proportion to my extra lifespan? If so then wouldn't we be even more screwed due to overpopulation? Isin't it bad enough that we are 7 billion people on this planet and then we get an extra lifespan boost? We would have to regulate births and food. Death is a natural cycle of life and as it's true 100 years is not very much it works for many people.

Well, actually they expect to turn 70 year olds into 24 year olds, as far as function.

So we aren't talking about being 200 years old and you're basically rotting to death while you're alive.

The population of course will be an issue.

 

[The Preened Mr. Fust]

If such drugs become available, I seriously doubt that only the high-society will have them. If the majority of the population finds out that a small percent has found a way to live longer, what do you think they might do about that?

I get the feeling it might be a bad idea to be the guy holding out on everyone else. We know what happens in the desert when one guy is holding out on water from the rest...

 

[LilithSlave]

mind uploading to come.

Speaking of mind uploading, since some of you are so worried about overpopulation. I doubt that overpopulation will be a problem if we ever achieve mind uploading. We'll all be able to live on the internet we're browsing right now in cute little space efficient servers and things.

Of course, only if the people who think Singularity is RIGHT UPON US were rigth would that happen before we all hit 80. Significant medical life extension would surely come far, far before the mind uploading, which would come long, long before the technological Singularity people speak of. But hey, if we do get medical anti-aging before we die, we may live well over 100, and we may life to take part in mind uploading. And that would reduce any overpopulation problems significantly.

With mind uploading, you can probably fit over 1,000 people's minds in a tiny room, easily.

We can also probably fit ourselves into android bodies that can easily and comfortably live in a space colony. Unlike our fleshy bodies.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

you keep saying that word 'singularity'

What is that, a movie or something?

 

[Casual Shinji]

The only life extension I believe in is simply living healthy.

Everyone gets a turn on this merry go round called life, and once your body reaches its natural aging limits yours is over. That might sound very trite, but it's what I believe we should simply accept.

Mind uploading sounds like the biggest crock I've ever heard.

 

[isometry]

you keep saying that word 'singularity'

What is that, a movie or something?

It's a prediction that at some point in the relatively near future technological progress will become so rapid that none of us today can imagine what the world will look like (it's named after the gravitational singularity of a black hole, which has an event horizon that we can't see beyond). For example, in 30-40 years computers will have more power than the human brain, who can say what the future will look like with computers much smarter than any human.

Similarly, who can say how long a young person today who avoids unnatural and rare causes of death will ultimately live, quite long, possibly.

 

[Random Fella]

I want to live to over 100, but if I have the choice maybe 125? Obviously won't happen but it'd be pretty cool, anyway as older people there would probably be stuff to keep us happy and entertained unlike some in this time, like maybe unlimited morphine for those over 100?

 

[henkalv]

If you actually want to live longer (not to mention forever) then there is a number of problems to overcome. First, the idea that uploading you to a computer is rather silly. Yes one could theoretically get all the info in there, but how do you upload the ego?

Rather, if one wants to live significally longer then there is a number of medical problem that have to be solved:
1. atherosclerosis
Basicly that your blood vessel gets a slowely thicker layer of fat on the inside, we can not stop it happening (or well you could exclude saturated fat from your diet compleatly, but that might have some side effects and I am not sure if it would actually stop it anyway)
2. mutations (thus curing all forms of cancer)
When your cells divide it sometimes happens small error and thus you get some cells who, while working semi properly, does not preform like it used to. It could be better (evolution) or you could be out of luck and get cancer. Anyway, if enough error happens then your body won't cope with it anyway and you will die.
3. micro-organisms
4. Hayflick limit
Basicly we have these small things at the end of our dna which decides how many times a cell can split, it gets shorter in every new cell and at the end it won't split anymore. Interesting note is that cancer cells avoid this somehow.

 

[veloper]

I think that even if longevity drugs were invented within the next few years it would take a loooonnnngggg time before said drugs were made available to the public. Their would need to be a massive revolution in the way the way we propogate as a species, as well solutions to our energy and resource concerns. Most likely longevity drugs would first become available to people whom hold important roles in society. CEOs of mega corporations who can afford it, doctors and scientists at the top of their fields, military campaigners, etc. The kind of people who pass for modern nobility. AKA none of us.

Best answer sofar.
To answer the question in the OP: no chance at all, even if the procedure were trivial.

In the best scenario only really important minds are preserved. I'm thinking of brilliant scientists who are a boon to society as a whole.
A more likely scenario is that only millionaires get enhanced so they cannot even lose their money through death.

 

[farscythe]

well...if i do live to see life extension... ill probably pass up on it cant say living to 150 or more appeals much (also..the thought of having to work till im 110 before retirement does not appeal)

now..having something that will keep me in peak physical condition till i croak round 80...that ill be interested in

 

[dvd_72]

We first need a solution to the complications that have arisen from our current population boom to think about adding 100 more years to our lives. My favourite option would be space colonisation, but maybe that's because I like to travel

 

[henkalv]

We first need a solution to the complications that have arisen from our current population boom to think about adding 100 more years to our lives. My favourite option would be space colonisation, but maybe that's because I like to travel

Actually trend in Europe shows that when living standars are high the birthrate drops dramatically, while if they are low (Africa) the birth rate skyrockets. Thus Immortal people, without the "it is now or never" element to childbearing would probably make for a very stable population.

While in countries where living standards are low the chance of physical trauma causing death is much higher, thus it would keep an immortal population in check there too, until they can reach the same living standards as in the west

 

[MammothBlade]

I'm not sure I want to live that long. It would be nice to have slowed ageing and an extended lifespan, but I don't know if life would be worth living after becoming accomplished.