OK. Forgive my modest research skills. I’ve certainly seen lots of posts that assume that indefinite lifespans are a good thing, but I had never seen any that made contrary claims or rebutted such claims. I would welcome pointers to the best such discussions. It was not intended as a rant.
On LW, you can find discussions about the ethics and desirability of life extension in posts on cryonics. But it’s also a well-established academic topic. Bostrom’s papers on life extension are probably interesting to the LW crowd:
(Bostrom is, of course, an advocate for vastly extended lifespans. But he does give references to academic papers and popular writings with different conclusions.)
I think a literature review, rather than the current discussion post, would be much more appropriate.
My “On methusalahites” video attempts to explain the existence of those who prioritise living for a long time highly—which superficially appears to be a biological anomaly. Essentially, I invoke memetic hijacking.
OK. Forgive my modest research skills. I’ve certainly seen lots of posts that assume that indefinite lifespans are a good thing, but I had never seen any that made contrary claims or rebutted such claims. I would welcome pointers to the best such discussions. It was not intended as a rant.
On LW, you can find discussions about the ethics and desirability of life extension in posts on cryonics. But it’s also a well-established academic topic. Bostrom’s papers on life extension are probably interesting to the LW crowd:
The Fable of the Dragon Tyrant (this has been posted several times on LW)
Recent Developments in the Ethics, Science, and Politics of Life-Extension (a review of this edited volume on life extension)
(Bostrom is, of course, an advocate for vastly extended lifespans. But he does give references to academic papers and popular writings with different conclusions.)
I think a literature review, rather than the current discussion post, would be much more appropriate.
My “On methusalahites” video attempts to explain the existence of those who prioritise living for a long time highly—which superficially appears to be a biological anomaly. Essentially, I invoke memetic hijacking.