Longevity

The constant drive to maintain youth and extend life in order to gain a little more time is the source of much suffering.

"The key to longevity is to learn every aspect of music that you can [and not doing fentanyl]." -Prince

Accepting the finite nature of life and the new experiences that await each new stage is universally seen as a necessary prerequisite for finding well-being, meaning, wisdom, and/or enlightenment. Stay healthy, but spend your time enjoying life, not worrying about how to make it longer.

Seeking a Good Death

In the issue of quality of life versus quantity of life, the traditional view that prioritizes extension of life as a moral trump card breaks down when modern technology allows the extension of technical life when there is no hope for that life to have much happiness, and often causes great emotional and financial pain in the process.

"Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing." -Seneca the Younger

This changes the consequences in the utilitarian calculation. Before modern medicine, it was not possible to artificially prolong the processing of dying for extended periods of time, which is effectively what some "life saving" interventions do. There are many situations where this causes a lot of excess suffering with no possibility of a positive outcome.

Modern society must be able to recognize when the balance has been tipped with no hope of recovery and accept the idea of a "good death". This guides our ethical calculus with regards to evidence-based euthanasia policy.

Studies have shown that psychedelics can reduce death anxiety, which can improve the subjective experience of death, as well as all the time leading up to it.

Seeking a Delayed Death

Techno-optimists that seek radical life-extension technology would be much happier if they focused on enjoying the time they have and spent their money on altruistic ventures. If we are able to extend life significantly while maintaining quality of life then that would be great. But it will require some significant changes to our culture and economy to prevent the hoarding of wealth and political power by the older generations. [1]

Would Eternity Get Boring?

In this article, Kieran Setiya examines the possibility of eternal ennui and makes a convincing case that through conscious efforts to continue learning, as well as forgetting, it might be possible for a very long life to maintain its zest. He examines the two major counter-arguments to eternal life, boredom and a lack of urgency that would lead to eternal procrastination, and finds them unconvincing.

While our inevitable death may not be a necessary ingredient in our morality or ability to experience happiness, it is probably necessary for successive generations of people and the society they live in to function correctly. Even with our current lifespans we have major issues with the older generation being unwilling to hand over power and authority to their successors. Imagine if live was extended significantly further? People will still have children when they are young, but those children will never be able to fully mature, because the leadership roles will always be filled by the previous generation.

Perhaps if Fully Automated Luxury Communism is achieved, one could retire at a reasonable age and continue to live for hundreds of years off of the bounty of automation. If we expand into the universe and colonize new worlds, then the next generation can simply lead that expansion instead of living under the rule of their Malthusian elders. Under the current capitalist system, it is unlikely that control will be relinquished in time for most future people to fully enjoy the prime of their lives.

Why Getting Old Rocks

These videos to help you accept the inevitability of growing old instead of clinging to life. You're going to get old regardless, so you might as well embrace it. Fortunately our brains try to make that easy for us.

Hidden Brain - The Best Years of Your Life

Hidden Brain - Disrupting Death