The Case for Longevity
Embracing a radically improved future
Would you rather be a 50 year old billionaire or 25 and broke?
Vitalia residents were recently surveyed with this question, with the results being 58% to 42% in favor of being 25 and broke. The Vitalia community assigns a staggering valuation of over $1 billion for those additional years of health, vitality, and life.
To find your personal value start shifting those same 25 years to different timespans. What if the question was asked between being a newborn or a rich 25 year old? Modest wealth at 50 or wealthy at 75. Keep varying the years and money to better understand your personal value of your years. I’m almost certain you’d rather be in your position now then be Warren Buffett at 93 years old with over $100B.
The Last Generation to Die
Let’s now shift gears with a story.
Grace is 40 years old and working in longevity biotechnology to radically extend lifespan. She is optimistic in the possible reality of a future where healthy, disease-free living can become a reality, but acknowledges the challenging road ahead.
One day Tod, her 8 year old son, inquires about her work:
“Mommy, what do you do at work?” Grace, aiming to simplify her job, responds “I’m working on making medicines that allow people to be healthy for as long as they wish. Do you want that?” Tod’s face is visibly enthusiastic and he exclaims “Yes! I want to be healthy forever!” Then, after a brief pause, he asks with a mixture or curiosity and confusion “does that mean I won’t die?”
Grace was taken aback by this question but reassuringly responds “well my team and others are making good progress so hopefully you’ll be able to live as long as you want!” Tod smiles with excitement then probes further asking “how about you Mommy?” Knowing that it’s less certain, but not wanted to concern Tod she says “it’s possible, and I am hopeful for the future.” Satisfied, Tod goes back to playing with his toys, his spirits high.
Later that evening Tod delves deeper into the earlier conversation and asks “Mommy, will Grandma and Grandpa get healthy again? Will they live as long as they want?” Grace, knowing that they are 78 and 80 respectively, is forced to acknowledge the immaturity of the treatments and face reality. Softly she responds to Tod saying “I unfortunately don’t think the technology will be ready that soon.” “So they are going to die?” Tod asks with an longing face full of fear and sadness. Grace, with a heavy heart facing the inevitable truth, her eyes on the brink of tears, turns away from Tod and says “most likely, yes.”
Addressing Society’s Discomfort
Longevity technology is coming. We now have the opportunity to tackle this problem. We must place more effort as a society to hasten it’s arrival.
So where are all the people working on the problem? Why is such a tiny fraction of investment into medicine going into this domain? With such immense emotional, societal, economic, and frankly moral imperative, why is this not the case?
I believe it is due to three main components:
Immortality focus
Lack of Feasibility
Avoiding thoughts on mortality
Immortality Focus
The term immortality conjures a myriad of connotations within society — fear, supernatural powers, vanity, and a slew of philosophical concerns about meaning and the essence of life and death. Equating the aspirations of the longevity field with these ideas, while I acknowledge the importance of long-term moonshot aspirations, I believe is currently doing a disservice and veering away from the core mission of the field.
At it’s core longevity is about enhancing health. Aging is currently associated with poor health, low energy, and disease. The longevity field aims to remove age from being a predictor of health in the slightest, where prime health through the duration of our lifespan is the norm. The field of longevity by no means wants to extend the period of decrepitude. In fact, I view that as completely immoral.
This shift in perspective also introduces the possibility of significantly extended lifespans — not in pursuit of the elusive goal of immortality, but rather in making "death optional," as eloquently stated by the community of Vitalia. This is not about chasing the fantasy of true immortality, which remains in the realm of impossibility and is, arguably, undesirable. Instead, the emphasis should be on a radical increase in healthspan, the period of life spent in good health.
Lack of Feasibility
Humans die. As the saying goes “nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” It is ingrained in our nature to believe that aging and death is a natural, unavoidable reality. Throughout our entire history we have aged, so what’s different now?
While it's impossible to cover the breadth of groundbreaking research within the scope of this discussion, there is much reason to be optimistic given our current landscape.
Progress have been made in the field of lifespan extension, particularly evident in research involving model organisms. Studies on yeast and flies have demonstrated remarkable extensions in lifespan, and even more complex organisms like mice have shown promising results. This is strong evidence for the notion that healthspan can be extended, and as the opening question demonstrated, even a modest extension would mean dramatic economic benefits.
Perhaps even more intriguing is the discovery of species that exhibit negligible senescence, the lack of signs of biological aging, suggesting that the absence of aging could be a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Not only is the biological frontier offering much hope, but the technological advancements on the horizon, spanning AI, robotics, nanotechnology, quantum computing, and brain-computer interfacing, promise to revolutionize our understanding and ability to model and reengineer our biological systems. The synergy of these advancements will undoubtably accelerate our journey to radical life extension.
The question of extending the human healthspan no longer is a question of if but a question of when. Whether you believe radical life extension is imminent or a far-off fantasy, the significance of even a single year of healthy life extension can not be overstated. As this economics paper concludes, a single additional year of healthy lifespan is valued at $37 trillion, and 10 years to be $367 trillion. These goals are well within our sights so lets start working towards this goal today!
Avoiding Thoughts of Mortality
The prospect of our own mortality is a thought many of us choose to avoid until the reality of it becomes unavoidable.
This tendency is reflected in the greater societal attitude towards health. The lack of preventative screenings, dismissing knowingly unhealthy behaviors such as diet and drinking, and not proactively becoming healthy through sleep and exercise are all evidence that people rationalize unhealthy behavior until they turn into more serious health complications.
However, there's a growing shift towards a more proactive approach to health, one that emphasizes prevention and personal responsibility. This shift is vital not just for individual health outcomes but as a foundational principle for advancing longevity. The concept of becoming a longevity athlete, a term coined by Bryan Johnson, embodies this proactive ideal. It's about recognizing our mortality and assuming agency to optimize our health in whatever balance we see fit.
By getting people to reflect on their mortality it prompts them to begin to take agency over their health. Once more people adopt this mindset the flywheel begins to gather widespread adoption. Once this mindset is adopted society will have a new, healthy relationship to the longevity field.
Embracing the Longevity Revolution
The imperative to invest in longevity research and initiatives cannot be overstated. The potential economic benefits are vast, but beyond the monetary incentives lies a deeper, more profound rationale. We stand on the cusp of a transformative era where the aging process as we know it can be radically altered, bringing with it the promise of a future rich in health and vitality. This vision is not only achievable but also a moral obligation we owe to the older generations and future ones alike.
The field of longevity requires a surge in support. More innovative minds, increased funding, and a variety of diverse approaches to tackle the complex challenge of aging. It calls for leaders with bold visions and a public that refuses to view aging as inevitable.
This future of enhanced health, prosperity, and extended vitality is within reach for many of us. However, realizing this potential demands that we approach the field with the urgency and dedication it merits. It's not merely an option; it's our moral imperative.
I urge you to become an ambassador to for the longevity movement. Spread the word, educate others, and help bring this discussion to the global stage. Our goal is for a radically improved future for humanity, one of health, vitality, and longevity.
Join the revolution and help bring humanity one step closer to this grand future!
https://www.nfx.com/post/business-case-for-longevity
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